Wind and solar now surpass coal and gas in EU

For the first time, solar and wind make up a larger share of EU electricity production than fossil fuels, according to new data for the first 12 months of 2024.

Fossil fuel consumption fell 17% compared to the same period last year, accounting for 27% of the total. Meanwhile, solar and wind reached 30%.

“We’re seeing a historic shift in our electricity sector, and it’s happening fast,” Chris Rosslowe, an analyst at Think Tank Ember, told The Guardian. He believes it shows European leaders understand Europe can break its dependence on fossil fuels.

Denmark’s energy mix has been greener than black since 2017, but now other EU countries are following suit.

Several factors are at play, explains Andrea Hahmann, senior researcher at the Technical University of Denmark.

“It’s been very windy the last six months, benefiting new wind farms in Germany. And it was a warm half-year, so energy consumption was lower,” she says.

She points out that solar energy in particular is gaining ground.

“Solar is cheaper and faster to install than wind, and easier to scale from small to large solar parks. It’s not as straightforward with wind turbines, and generally the public is more open to solar than wind.”

The translation was written by an AI system, though the original text was authored by a human.