Solar power overtakes coal generation in 2024

CGTN Europe

CGTN Europe spoke to Dr Chris Rosslowe,  Senior Analyst at Energy think tank Ember

Transcript

00:002024 was a pivotal year for green energy in Europe.

00:05The European Electricity Review found, for the first time,

00:08solar power overtook coal as an energy source for generating electricity,

00:12accounting for 11%.

00:15Solar is growing in every EU country,

00:17and more than half now use either little or no coal.

00:21Clean energy accounted for nearly three quarters of EU power generation,

00:25and use of renewables reached 47%, both record highs.

00:29Powered by the continued growth of solar power and a recovery in hydropower.

00:34And emissions from the EU's power sector fell to half the 2007 peak,

00:39as use of fossil fuels fell to the lowest level in 40 years.

00:43Let's talk now to Dr Chris Rosslow,

00:46who's a senior analyst at the energy think tank EMBER,

00:48which carried out this review.

00:50Good to see you, Chris. Thanks for joining us.

00:52So we're seeing from your review there that solar power has overtaken coal for the first time.

00:57Are we now seeing the beginning of the end for fossil fuels and electricity generation?

01:03Thank you. I think it is clear that fossil fuels are losing their grip on European energy.

01:10And indeed, I think coal power is near the end.

01:13Coal power is increasingly concentrated in just two European countries, in Germany and Poland.

01:18And as you were saying, it's now being pushed down into sixth place as an EU power source.

01:23It was as high as third place as recently as 2019.

01:28The EU still uses more gas than coal for power and the decline is slower in gas.

01:32But we have seen five consecutive years now of declining gas power,

01:35which does indicate that's becoming a structural decline as well.

01:39So as well as some of these declines, we've seen growth in renewables.

01:43Has that meant that Europe's now in a place where it's more energy secure?

01:49I think that's definitely the case. Yes.

01:54Of course, if you look back over the last few years, there was a major event when Russia attacked Ukraine

02:00and it left the EU scrambling to find alternative gas supplies.

02:04But because of the growth in wind and solar, it actually didn't need to find as much gas from elsewhere

02:08as it was importing from Russia.

02:10So we estimate that the growth in wind and solar just in the five years since the start of the European Green Deal

02:16has helped the EU avoid 59 billion euros worth of fossil fuel imports,

02:22so that it would have had to import roughly a fifth extra gas on top of what it did just for power generation

02:28if it wasn't for the growth of wind and solar over that period.

02:31Well, let's talk about that Green Deal. Is that what's made the difference in growth of renewables?

02:39It definitely set the direction of travel, increased Europe's climate ambition,

02:43increased Europe's very high level targets.

02:46And then it was over to national governments to set the wheels in motion on the ground, if you will,

02:51by introducing renewable policies, support policies.

02:55But really, I think going back again to the gas crisis a few years ago in 2022,

03:00when the cost of gas soared as a result of that, it really profoundly shifted the economics in favour of wind and solar power.

03:08And that remains the case today. They're very competitive.

03:11They're the cheapest form of energy, much cheaper than gas generation today,

03:15because gas is still relatively expensive, even though it's come down a bit since those highs.

03:20So lots of positives around renewables then.

03:22But do you think Europe's doing enough to transition to them when you look at other places like China, for example,

03:28which are going much further and much faster?

03:32So I think Europe has a genuine case for being a clean power leader in its power sector.

03:38As you're mentioning at the top there, more than 70 percent now of Europe's electricity comes from clean sources.

03:44China is still much more dependent on coal on the one hand.

03:48But on the other hand, you're right that China is investing huge sums into clean energy,

03:53which are really changing the landscape in China.

03:56So there's a slight difference there in the comparison.

04:00Is Europe doing enough in other ways?

04:01I think when we look at solar power, the success there is very clear.

04:05And that is on track for, let's say, European energy targets.

04:09With the wind power sector, however, we are seeing growth.

04:13It's not accelerating at the rate it needs to.

04:16And that's really important because wind power and solar power are actually very complementary to each other.

04:22They generate energy at different times of day, different times of year.

04:26And also, as I was mentioning earlier, wind power is also significantly cheaper than gas power.

04:32So it will help to improve energy affordability in Europe if Europe can accelerate that growth in wind power, too.

04:38Chris, good to talk to you. Thank you for joining us.

04:40That's Dr Chris Roslow from EMBA.

Category

Transcript

Recommended