According to a report by the UK-based think tank Ember, wind and solar energy have reached a record high in the EU’s energy mix, now accounting for 30% of the bloc’s electricity generation and surpassing fossil fuels for the first time. In the first half of 2024, fossil fuels contributed only 27% to total EU electricity generation, a significant drop from 33% during the same period last year.
Several EU countries have seen renewable energy sources surpass fossil fuels for the first time, including Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Additionally, nine EU member states have achieved this milestone in recent years: Sweden, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Denmark, Lithuania, Finland, Portugal, and Austria.
However, other countries such as Bulgaria, Estonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Malta, Ireland, Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Romania, and Cyprus are still transitioning. Greece is relatively close to achieving a similar shift, with renewable energy sources nearing the point of overtaking fossil fuels.
The EU has also made notable progress in reducing its reliance on fossil fuels, cutting coal use in power plants by 24% and gas use by 14% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
