A new report showed renewable energy delivered more electricity last year than fossil fuels. More European countries are turning to wind and solar power. (Image credit: Ashley Cooper | Getty Images)
For the first time in history, renewable sources beat fossil fuels in Europe last year, according to an annual report from Ember and Agora Energiewende. The joint research team found that renewables delivered 38% of electricity last year, compared to 37% delivered by fossil fuels. So, what's causing the shift? The biggest factor is the growth of sources like wind and solar power. Both have doubled since 2015 and accounted for one-fifth of electricity generation in European countries as of last year.
Dave Jones, senior electricity analyst for Ember and lead author on the report, says rapid growth in renewables has caused a decline in coal. Coal and nuclear generation dropped by 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively. "Europe is relying on wind and solar to ensure not only coal is phased out by 2030, but also to phase out gas generation, replace closing nuclear power plants, and to meet rising electricity demand from electric cars, heat pumps and electrolysers," said Jones.
The new report shows last year's lockdown resulted in less demand for electricity around the world. European demand decreased by four percent in 2020, according to the report, which said the pandemic had little impact on the growth of renewable energy sources. This milestone follows recent commitments from European leaders to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.
Though there's still work to be done, this growth shows a positive trend for renewable energy not just in Europe but around the world. In 2019, Scotland generated so much wind energy. The power could have supported twice its population. That same year, the UK generated more power from wind farms, solar panels, biomass, and hydropower plants than coal, oil, and natural gas for the first time in 137 years. In 2020, the United States used more renewable energy than coal for the first time since 1885.
But is this a real change or just an anomaly? It's too early to tell. Still, the future of renewable energy looks good. We're starting to see nuclear generation decrease, which is expected to fall further throughout the 2020s, according to Ember and Agora.
"Post-pandemic economic recovery must not slow down climate action," said Patrick Graichen, director of Agora Energiewende, in a statement. "We, therefore, need strong climate policy -- such as in the Green Deal -- to ensure steady progress."
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