⚡ Record decrease in emissions from the EU's energy sector - renewables exceed 40%

• Record decrease in coal, gas, and CO2 emissions in 2023 resulted in the EU's cleanest electricity mix ever.
• Renewable energy sources increased to a record share of 44 percent.
• Wind power surpassed gas for the first time.

A historic decline in fossil fuels

In 2023, the EU accelerated its transition away from fossil fuels, with a record decrease in coal, gas, and CO2 emissions. Fossil fuels decreased by 19 percent to the lowest level ever, under one-third of the EU's electricity production, according to an analysis from Ember.

Renewable energy sources rose to 44 percent, exceeding 40 percent for the first time. Wind and solar continued to be the driving forces behind the growth of renewable energy, producing 27 percent of the EU's electricity in 2023.

Both nuclear and hydropower recovered from the previous year's low levels and contributed to clean energy production making up more than two-thirds of the EU's electricity.

Coal usage, which is in a long-term decline, continued this trend in 2023. The temporary slowdown in the closure of coal power plants during the energy crisis did not prevent a significant fall in coal production this year. A wave of coal power plant closures is expected in 2024. Gas production fell for the fourth year in a row, and as coal approaches phase-out in many countries, gas will be next in line to enter a likely permanent decline.

Halved emissions from the power sector

Emissions from the power sector have now nearly halved (-46 percent) since their peak in 2007.

Eleven countries achieved their largest ever emission reductions.

The growth of wind and solar was responsible for much of the decline, but electricity consumption also plays a role. Electricity consumption decreased by 3.4 percent during 2023. This meant that demand was 6.4 percent lower in 2023 than it was in 2021, when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine put pressure on the energy market in Europe.

Wind power surpasses gas for the first time

Wind power saw a record growth in annual production during 2023 of 55 TWh (+13 percent). This resulted in production from wind surpassing gas for the first time. Electricity produced from wind was 475 TWh, equivalent to France's total electricity consumption, compared with 452 TWh from gas.

17 GW of wind power was installed during 2023 compared to 16 GW during 2022, achieving the highest annual capacity increase to date. However, this expansion rate needs to nearly double to over 30 GW per year by 2030 if the EU is to achieve its goals.

Wind and solar drive record share of renewable energy

For the first time, wind and solar accounted for more than a quarter of the EU's electricity (27 percent) during 2023, up from 23 percent in 2022.

Combined wind and solar production increased by a record 90 TWh and installed capacity by 73 GW.

Solar energy continued its strong growth with an additional 56 GW of capacity during 2023, compared to 41 GW during 2022 (+37 percent).

The EU's electricity system continued its transition to a system powered by wind and solar when 24 percent of the hours saw less than a quarter of the electricity coming from fossil fuels, up from just 4 percent of the hours during 2022.

Grids, storage, and other enablers of system flexibility will become increasingly important as the share of wind and solar continues to grow.

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Warp NewsMathias Sundin

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