Wind and solar energy reached new peaks in the countries of the European Union in the first half of 2024 when, with a 30 percent share in electricity production, they surpassed fossil fuels (27 percent). This happened even though the demand for electricity increased by 0.7 percent in this period.
In the first six months, fossil fuels fell by 17 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Ember’s analysis.
“We are witnessing a historic shift in the energy sector, and it is happening fast. If EU members manage to maintain momentum in the development of wind farms and solar farms, freedom from dependence on fossil fuels will really begin to loom,” said Chris Roslov, an analyst at Ember.
Production from coal fell by a quarter (-24 percent, -39 TWh), while production from gas fell by 14 percent (-29 TWh). This happened even as demand increased by 0.7 percent, recovering from two years of decline. As a result, emissions in the first half of the year are now almost a third lower (-31 percent) than in the first half of 2022 — an unprecedented decline in such a short period.
The first half of 2024 shows that the EU’s clean energy transition is in full swing, and the EU’s swift action to reduce dependence on fossil fuels was evident as new wind and solar capacities were installed, marking a permanent structural change, according to the mentioned report.
Solar energy production increased by 21 percent, compared to the same period last year, and wind by nine percent. The most electricity from wind power plants is produced by Germany and the Netherlands, while a greater growth was recorded in solar power plants, which are much more numerous throughout the EU.
As for solar power plants, there have been large increases in Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland. Relative growth is also recorded in Hungary, where the production of solar energy increased by 49 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
Demand growth
Demand for electricity in Europe recorded growth that would probably have been higher if the winters had not been warm, which reduced the demand for heating. It is estimated that without the mild winter, the demand would have increased by 2.1 percent, in accordance with the forecast of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on the increase in the demand for electricity in the European Union. The highest consumption of electricity is in Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, followed by Denmark and Greece.
Jasna Dragojević
Source: energetskiportal.rs
