EU produces more wind and solar energy than ever before
More and more countries within the European Union are setting new records in the production of sustainable energy. The reason for this is also the Ukraine war. According to a report, the EU has now broken another record, producing more wind and solar energy than ever before.
Hardly a year showed us the dependence on fossil fuels like 2022. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine reveals the role of gas in our energy supply. That is why sustainable alternatives are needed, which numerous countries are now pushing ahead with in a hurry. This shows also a recent report the energy think tank Ember.
Accordingly, the 27 nations of the European Union (EU) have broken a new energy record. Because around a quarter of Europe’s power supply this year can be traced back to wind power and solar energy. This in turn prevented the flow of 11 billion euros for Russian gas, which in turn accounted for 45 percent of the total supply before the conflict.
19 EU countries set new wind and solar energy records
But the figures also show that the energy transition is particularly important. For example, 19 countries broke previous records for the share of renewable energies in the power grid. Poland increased its capacities by around 48.5 percent, which is the highest level in Europe.
Spain, meanwhile, recorded the largest growth in energy generation with 7.4 terawatt hours, an increase of 35 percent. The European targets remain ambitious. The EU Commission stipulated that gas should no longer be purchased from Russia before 2030.
Renewable energies should then account for up to 45 percent of the entire electricity supply. Nevertheless, gas will continue to be an important source of energy for the time being, because dependence on Russia cannot be ended immediately.
Energy supply: Rethinking even without the Ukraine war
Irrespective of the Ukraine war, however, a rethinking of the energy supply must take place. Because according to reports, we are well on the way to missing the goals of the Paris climate agreement. Compared to 2019, emissions will only drop by seven percent by 2030 according to the current status.
According to a report by Non-governmental organization World Resources Institute However, we would have to reduce our emissions more drastically – by 7.6 percent every year. So the EU doesn’t seem to be badly advised with its strategy, but it definitely needs to step up its game if it is to achieve its own goals.
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