EU Wind and Solar Power Surge 65% in Four Years, Displacing Fossil Fuels.

Wind and solar energy capacity in the European Union has increased by 65% (+188GW) since the European Commission took office in 2019, significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering emissions, according to a new analysis by Ember.

Wind energy capacity rose by 31% (+52 GW) to 219GW in 2023, while solar capacity more than doubled (+113%) from 120GW to 257GW. This combined growth led to a 46% (+226 TWh) increase in electricity generation from wind and solar between 2019 and 2023, raising their share in the EU electricity mix from 17% to 27%.

This expansion was the primary driver behind the overall increase in renewable energy’s share of the EU electricity mix, which grew from 34% in 2019 to 44% in 2023.

Fossil fuel generation decreased by 22% (-247 TWh) during the same period, with notable reductions in both coal and gas usage. The growth in wind and solar generation displaced a fifth of the EU’s fossil fuel generation from 2019 to 2023. Without this growth, fossil fuel generation would have only decreased by 1.9% (21 TWh) instead of 22%, as the decrease in electricity demand would have been offset by a reduction in other clean sources.

Germany and Spain led the EU in wind and solar capacity additions, with Germany increasing by 42 GW (+38%) and Spain by 25 GW (+69%). These two countries contributed 22% and 13% of the new capacity, respectively. However, substantial progress was also made across the region, with over half of the 27 Member States at least doubling and often tripling, their wind and solar capacity since 2019.

Fourteen countries, excluding Germany and Spain, added a combined 74GW of new wind and solar capacity, accounting for 39% of the EU’s total increase. This group includes nations with initially limited capacity, such as Slovenia, which grew from 200MW to 1GW and larger systems like the Netherlands, which tripled its capacity to reach 35GW.

Central and Eastern Europe also saw significant growth, with Hungary quadrupling its solar capacity to 6GW and Poland increasing its wind and solar capacity by 3.4 times, adding 18GW.

In 2023, thirteen EU countries installed at least 1GW of new solar capacity, nearly half of the 28 countries worldwide achieving this milestone. Of these, only five had gigawatt-scale markets in 2019.

The EU’s electricity mix is now among the cleanest globally, surpassing other major economies like the US and China. The carbon intensity of EU electricity generation dropped from 287 gCO2 per kWh in 2019 to 244 gCO2 per kWh in 2023, a 15% reduction compared to a global average decline of just 4%.