Ember’s Review of European Electricity for the year 2023 revealed a significant decrease of 19% in power sector emissions within the EU, attributed to the remarkable growth of renewable energy sources, a decline in electricity consumption, and a notable reduction in coal and gas generation across EU-27 member states.
Coal power generation experienced a substantial drop of 26% in 2023, as reported by Ember, while gas generation also decreased by 15% throughout EU nations. Concurrently, renewable power generation witnessed remarkable growth, with wind power surpassing gas in its contribution to energy production for the first time.
According to Ember’s findings, wind energy alone accounted for 18% of the EU’s total electricity demand in 2023, surpassing contributions from gas (17%), coal (12%), and solar (9%). Only nuclear power exceeded wind energy in electricity generation across the EU, contributing 23% to the total output.
The combined contribution of wind and solar energy saw its highest increase in generation to date, with a growth of 73TWh and an additional 73GW of installed capacity. Ember reported that wind and solar together contributed 27% to electricity generation in the EU, marking a significant milestone in meeting more than a quarter of the bloc’s electricity demand for the first time. Wind energy generation reached 475TWh, equivalent to France’s total generation demand in 2023, while solar energy accounted for 246TWh.
Sarah Brown, Ember’s Europe Programme Director, commented, “The EU’s power sector is undergoing a monumental transformation, with fossil fuels playing a diminishing role as wind and solar emerge as the backbone of the system.”
Despite the surge in renewables, the report highlighted a decline in electricity demand across EU member states as a contributing factor to the decrease in fossil fuel generation and power emissions. Overall electricity demand fell by 3.4% (94TWh) in 2023 compared to 2022, and 6.4% (186TWh) from 2021.
However, Ember’s analysis cautioned that while renewable energy growth is driving down power sector emissions in the EU, there is a need for accelerated expansion of wind and solar energy to meet the RepowerEU targets of fulfilling 55% of energy demand from renewables by 2030. For instance, wind energy generation grew by 13% in 2023 but would need to expand by 15% annually to keep member states on track for the RePowerEU target.
Dave Jones, Global Insights Director at Ember, emphasized, “As electrification gains momentum through increased adoption of heat pumps, electric vehicles, and electrolysers, the EU will experience a surge in electricity demand. Renewables must keep pace with this demand to achieve the necessary emissions reductions for a sustainable climate.”
