Renewable energy sources (RES) have overtaken coal, oil and gas in the European Union’s electricity generation, for the first time.
According to Ember, a climate think-tank focused on accelerating the global electricity transition, wind, solar, hydropower and biomass/biogas generated 40 % of the 27 member states’ electricity in the first half of the year, beating fossil fuels which accounted for 34 %. As a result, carbon emissions from the EU’s power sector fell by nearly a quarter in the first six months of 2020.
Dave Jones, a senior electricity analyst at Ember, said this marked a symbolic moment in the transition of Europe’s electricity sector, pointing out that nine years ago fossil fuels generated twice as much of the EU’s electricity as renewable sources.
While electricity demand in the EU fell by 7 % due to COVID-19, generation from renewables rose by 11 %, largely driven by new wind and solar installations which produced a record fifth of Europe’s electricity. In Denmark, 64 % of electricity in the first half of 2020 was generated from wind and solar.
