Last year, 38 percent of Europe's electricity came from renewable sources, while coal and gas provided 37 percent.
Green electricity symbol image.
Last year, for the first time in Europe, more electricity was generated from renewable energies than from fossil-fuel power plants. This is the result of a study by the British think tank Ember and the German think tank Agora Energiewende, as reported by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Monday).
According to this, renewable energies from wind, solar, hydropower or biomass supplied 38 percent of European electricity last year, while coal or gas only supplied 37 percent. This is “an important milestone in Europe's conversion to clean energy,” it says in the report.
Less coal
While wind and solar power have increased significantly, coal-fired power stations in particular have supplied less electricity. According to the information, their electricity generation has almost halved compared to 2015. Last year alone, it fell by 20 percent.
This has only partially to do with the pandemic. Because renewable energies will continue to be built and the price of CO2 will continue to rise in the foreseeable future, the decline of coal will continue after the pandemic, said Agora Director Patrick Graichen.
