In demand: Workers instal solar panels at the Hanau Energies SAS solar project in Weinbourg, France. Solar generation in the EU jumped about 22% last year to around 304 terawatt hours. — Bloomberg
LONDON: A surge of solar power output has helped the green energy source overtake coal-fired stations in the European Union (EU) for the first time last year, a report shows.
The milestone, based on data from climate think tank Ember, is the latest sign of coal’s decline in the EU as the bloc seeks to shift away from the highly polluting fossil fuel.
But the success in Europe’s grid is still far from enough to limit coal’s global role, with China-driven demand set to keep breaking records in the coming years.
Solar generation in the EU jumped about 22% last year to around 304 terawatt hours, according to Ember.
Coal power fell nearly 16% to just over 269 terawatt hours.
“While the EU’s electricity transition has moved faster than anyone expected in the last five years, further progress cannot be taken for granted,” Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst at Ember, said in a statement.
“Delivery needs to be accelerated, particularly in the wind sector.”
While solar power jumped significantly, electricity from wind barely increased.
Wind farms produced just 1.5% more in 2024 than the year before. Still, wind was a bigger source of power than gas plants for the second year in a row, the Ember data show. Gas-fired generation fell 5.6% to the lowest level since 2015.
The rise of renewable power sources was also aided by lackluster demand in the EU, which increased about 1.2%, still far below the level seen before the pandemic and the 2022 energy crisis stifled consumption. — Bloomberg
