Think tank Ember has recently released the “European Power Review” report, which shows that the EU’s natural gas power generation has declined for the fifth consecutive year (-6%), with total fossil fuel power generation also dropping to a historic low.
According to the data, the EU’s photovoltaic power generation increased by about 22% in 2024 to approximately 304 TWh. In contrast, coal power generation declined by about 16% to just over 269 TWh.
Chris Rosslowe, Senior Analyst at Ember, said, “The influence of fossil fuels on EU energy is weakening. Few people believed that the EU’s energy transition could reach today’s level when the European Green Deal was launched in 2019; wind and solar power are pushing coal to the brink and forcing a structural decline in natural gas.”
Wind and solar power generation continue to grow at a high rate.
Driven by the European Green Deal, the EU’s solar power generation (11%) surpassed coal power generation (10%) for the first time in 2024, while wind power generation (17%) exceeded natural gas power generation (16%) for the second consecutive year, accounting for nearly half (47%) of renewable power generation.
In 2024, fossil fuels accounted for 29% of the EU’s electricity supply, compared to 39% in 2019 before the Green Deal, when renewables accounted for only 34%.
All EU member states have seen steady growth in installed PV capacity, with more than half of countries now either having no coal power or having coal power accounting for less than 5% of their electricity mix.
The EU is reaping the benefits of reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
The surge in wind and solar power generation has reduced the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and mitigated the impact of price fluctuations since the energy crisis.
Ember analysis shows that without the additional wind and solar power generation capacity added in the past five years, the EU would have had to import an extra 92 billion cubic meters of fossil natural gas and 55 million tons of coal, costing 59 billion euros (IT Home note: currently about RMB 446.476 billion).
Rosslowe said, “While the EU’s power transition has been faster over the past five years than anyone expected, further progress cannot be taken for granted. Especially in the field of wind power, there is a need to accelerate delivery, as it faces unique challenges and a widening delivery gap. From now until 2030, annual additions of wind power need to more than double from 2024 levels.”
