According to a report by think tank Ember, wind and solar power generation in the European Union has witnessed a remarkable 46% increase from 2019 to 2023, displacing a significant portion of the bloc's fossil fuel generation.
During this period, wind capacity surged by 31% to 219 gigawatts (GW), while solar capacity more than doubled to 257 GW. This expansion equates to installing over 230,000 solar panels daily over the span of four years. Without this substantial growth in renewable capacity, fossil fuel generation would have experienced only a minimal decrease of 1.9%, compared to the actual 22% decline.
Sarah Brown, Europe programme director at Ember, highlighted the transformative impact of this shift, stating, “The EU now has more home-grown wind and solar than ever, pushing both coal and gas electricity generation down to historic lows. The EU is now in the midst of a historic, permanent shift away from reliance on fossil fuels for power.”
The surge in wind and solar capacity has propelled the share of total renewables in the EU electricity mix to 44% in 2023, up from 34% in 2019. Meanwhile, the declining coal and gas generation has reduced the share of fossil fuel generation to 32.5%, down from 39%.
This significant increase in renewable energy capacity aligns with the European Commission's proposed target of achieving 45% renewable energy sources in the overall energy mix by 2030. However, challenges may arise in implementing more ambitious legislation, particularly with upcoming reviews of existing laws in the next five years.
