Take that, energy crisis: Wind and solar power generation rose to record levels in the EU last year, overtaking natural gas as an energy source for the first time and preventing a wider return to coal.that wind and solar power generated 22 percent of the EU's energy last year, marking the first time the renewables surpassed natural gas, while also maintaining a lead over coal-fired power despite a slight increase in that manner of generation last year.
When Russia cut off supplies of natural gas in response to sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, the report said, the EU's response was to"accelerate its electricity transition".That acceleration saw solar energy generation in the EU rise by a record 39TWh in 2022 - a 24 percent YoY increase. Solar installations in the EU rose by 47 percent last year, the report said.
But wider energy transition plans were derailed by a Europe-wide drought that caused hydroelectricity to fall to its lowest levels in 20 years, and poorly-timedamong France's aging nuclear power fleet. Fears emerged that additional coal plants would need to be brought online to offset shortages, but that scenario never came to pass.
A warm winter meant that the coal plants reactivated in the EU went largely idle, and only saw an average of 18 percent utilization through Q4 2022, Ember said. Of the 26 plants brought online, nine saw zero utilization, Ember said, though coal power generation still rose by seven percent between 2021 and 2022.
Collectively, all these numbers mean that any fear - or possibility - of a rebound for coal-fired electricity generation should be considered dead, said report author and Ember's Head of Data Insights, Dave Jones.
'How to lie with statistics' is always a good read. Means are less useful than peaks when it come to managing a grid.