L R AS Published on Monday 10 February 2020 - n° 308 - Categories:Europe
Solar and wind power produced more electricity than coal for the first time in Europe
Solar and wind power generated more electricity than coal in the European Union for the first time in 2019. Coal-fired power generation fell by
24% in 2019. This has reduced CO2 emissions from the energy sector by 12%. This is the biggest drop in three decades. For their part, solar panels and wind farms accounted for 18% of electricity production in the EU in 2019, with 569 TWh, while coal capacity fell to just 15%, with 469 TWh.
In Europe just five years ago, coal produced twice as much electricity as solar and wind power. Almost half of the EU's lost coal capacity has been replaced by solar and wind power: in 2019, 16.7 GW of solar power and 14 GW of wind power were installed in Europe. Gas accounts for the rest, partly because its low prices have made it more competitive than coal.
Eastern European countries have reduced their dependence on coal at a slower pace than their western European neighbours.
PV Magazine of 7 February
