In a first, EU wind power surpasses natural gas power

Chief Europe Correspondent

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<header><h1>In a first, EU wind power surpasses natural gas power</h1><a href="" rel="author"></a><span class="title"></span><time rel="pubdate" datetime="2024-02-06T00:00:00-05:00">Feb 6</time></header><p><span data-contrast="none">The European Union’s coal and natural gas electricity dropped a record amount in 2023, leading to an unprecedented decrease in power sector emissions, </span><a href="https://ember-climate.org/insights/research/european-electricity-review-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-contrast="none">fresh data</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> out today shows.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">Fossil generation accounted for less than a third of EU power generation last year, according to think tank Ember.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">As coal and gas drop, wind and solar are picking up the slack. As a percent share of the overall electricity mix, wind surpassed gas power for the first time last year, having passed coal just a couple years earlier. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">Meanwhile, </span><span data-contrast="none">w</span><span data-contrast="none">ind and solar combined achieved their highest ever year-on-year increases</span><span data-contrast="none">, </span><span data-contrast="none">produc</span><span data-contrast="none">ing</span><span data-contrast="none"> a record 27% of </span><span data-contrast="none">the </span><span data-contrast="none">EU</span><span data-contrast="none">’s</span><span data-contrast="none"> electricity in 2023</span><span data-contrast="none">. It was the first time wind and solar have provided</span><span data-contrast="none"> more than</span><span data-contrast="none"> a quarter </span><span data-contrast="none">of the bloc’s power</span><span data-contrast="none">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">A 3% decline in electricity demand compared to 2022 also contributed to the drop in fossil fuel generation.</span><span data-contrast="none"> But demand is expected to start ticking upward </span><span data-contrast="none">in the coming years as electrification increase</span><span data-contrast="none">s, Ember said.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><i><span data-contrast="none">“</span></i><span data-contrast="none">As electrification takes off through more heat pumps, electric vehicles and electrolysers, the EU will enter a new era of rising electricity demand,</span><i><span data-contrast="none">” </span></i><span data-contrast="none">Ember’s global insights director Dave Jones said in a statement.</span><i><span data-contrast="none"> </span></i><span data-contrast="none">“Renewables will need to keep pace with that demand increase in order to deliver the emissions cuts needed for a safe climate.</span><i><span data-contrast="none">”</span></i><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p><p><span data-contrast="none">A similar transformation is underway in the United States, albeit one where natural gas remains dominant while renewables </span><a href="https://ciphernews.com/articles/in-a-first-u-s-renewables-generation-overtakes-coal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-contrast="none">overtake</span></a><span data-contrast="none"> coal. </span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
In a first, EU wind power surpasses natural gas power

by  - 

February 6, 2024


The European Union’s coal and natural gas electricity dropped a record amount in 2023, leading to an unprecedented decrease in power sector emissions, fresh data out today shows. 
Fossil generation accounted for less than a third of EU power generation last year, according to think tank Ember. 
As coal and gas drop, wind and solar are picking up the slack. As a percent share of the overall electricity mix, wind surpassed gas power for the first time last year, having passed coal just a couple years earlier.  
Meanwhile, wind and solar combined achieved their highest ever year-on-year increases, producing a record 27% of the EU’s electricity in 2023. It was the first time wind and solar have provided more than a quarter of the bloc’s power. 
A 3% decline in electricity demand compared to 2022 also contributed to the drop in fossil fuel generation. But demand is expected to start ticking upward in the coming years as electrification increases, Ember said. 
“As electrification takes off through more heat pumps, electric vehicles and electrolysers, the EU will enter a new era of rising electricity demand,” Ember’s global insights director Dave Jones said in a statement. “Renewables will need to keep pace with that demand increase in order to deliver the emissions cuts needed for a safe climate.” 
A similar transformation is underway in the United States, albeit one where natural gas remains dominant while renewables overtake coal.