Europe breaks fossil fuel shackles
Despite the ongoing energy crises, the use of coal and gas over this winter has not increased as much as some feared. Europe is on the verge of breaking its addiction to fossil fuels
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As Europe emerges from the long dark winter days, many grid operators around Europe are breathing a sigh of relief. A milder winter than expected meant there wasn’t the need for increased levels of fossil fuel generation to meet heightened demand.
A new report by environmental think-tank Ember found wind and solar technologies generated a fifth of EU electricity in 2022—a new record—and for the first time overtook fossil gas.
Coal power share increased by just 1.5 percentage points to generate 16% of EU electricity in 2022, with year-on-year falls in the last four months of 2022 as Europe prevented a threatened return to coal power in the wake of the 2022 energy crisis.
Joining the team this week is Ember’s head of data insights and lead author on the report, Dave Jones. We discuss what to look out for in 2023 and how Europe can avoid returning to old habits.
Enjoy the show!
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Dave Jones
Michaela Holl
Jan Rosenow
David Weston
@WattMattersPod
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Illustration: Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva.
Show notes:
European Electricity Review 2023 | Ember
Europe’s wind industry flags further weakness in 2023 despite energy demand | Financial Times
Open Climate Fix
TransitionZero
Preparing for the next winter: Europe’s gas outlook for 2023
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