LONDON (Reuters) – Renewable energy surpassed fossil fuels as the European Union’s main source of electricity in 2020 as new projects came online and coal power shrank, a report showed on Monday.
Renewable sources such as wind and solar power will generate 38% percent of the 27-member state’s electricity by 2020, with 37% of fossil fuels such as coal and gas, the report thinks Ember and Agora Energiewende.
(Chart: Electricity production share (%) in EU 27 -)
Denmark achieves the highest percentage of wind and solar power, contributing 61% of its electricity needs by 2020. Ireland achieved 35% and Germany 33%.
Countries with the lowest share of renewable energy sources, below 5%, were Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the data showed.
Stairs on homes and businesses designed to limit the spread of the new coronavirus led to a 4% drop in total electricity demand in the EU last year, but the impact has been sharpened by fossil fuel producers feeling.
Coal power generation fell by 20% in 2020 and has been halved since 2015 since 2015.
“Coal generation has fallen in almost all countries, and the collapse of coal, which was well before Covid-19, continued,” the report said.
Many European countries are phasing out polluting coal plants to meet emissions reduction targets, but low electricity prices amid pandemic shutdowns have also made some coal plants unprofitable to operate compared to cheaper renewable energy generation not.
“Renewable energy will continue to rise, as we install more and more. The jury wants to determine whether fossil fuels will bounce back, but if they do return, it is not expected to be much, ”said Dave Jones, senior analyst at Ember.
Reporting by Susanna Twidale; Edited by Elaine Hardcastle