Renewable energy overtook fossil fuels for European electricity in 2020

The report, which has been tracking the EU’s electricity sector since 2015, found that renewables provided 38% of electricity last year, compared to 37% supplied by fossil fuels.

The change comes as other sources, such as wind and solar power, have increased in the European Union. The two sources have almost doubled since 2015 and last year accounted for a fifth of electricity production in EU countries, according to the report. This is also the reason why coal-fired power fell by 20% last year, accounting for only 13% of the electricity produced in Europe.

“The rapid growth in wind and solar power has forced coal to decline, but it’s only the beginning,” Dave Jones, senior electricity analyst for Ember and lead author of the report, said in a statement. “Europe is counting on wind and solar power to ensure not only the phase-out of coal by 2030, but also to phase out gas production, replace shutdown nuclear power plants and to meet growing demand electricity for electric cars, heat pumps and electrolysers. “

Last year’s Covid-19 lockdown measures have resulted in a drop in demand for electricity across the world. European demand fell by 4% in 2020, according to the report, according to which trends in Covid had no effect on the growth of renewable energy sources. Since 2015, Europe’s electricity emissions have fallen historically, becoming 29% cleaner, the report notes.