“Historic change” before our eyes. Wind and sun have provided more electricity than fossil fuels

Wind and solar power plants have overtaken fossil fuels in terms of electricity production in the European Union, according to an analysis by the Ember think tank. What’s more, this is not a single record, but part of a clear trend: energy production from coal and gas is rapidly declining, and is being replaced by zero-emission, renewable sources.

“As wind and solar power grow in popularity, the role of fossil fuels is diminishing. We are witnessing a historic shift in the energy sector. And one that is happening quickly,” says Ember analyst Dr. Chris Rosslowe.

Almost 1/3 of energy from wind and sun

From the beginning of the year to the end of June, wind and solar power plants produced about 30 percent of electricity in the entire European Union – the publication shows. At the same time, fossil fuels (coal, gas) dropped by several percent and accounted for 27 percent of generation in total. This is the first time in history that the two renewable sources mentioned above have overtaken coal and gas.

Analysts point out that the growth of renewable energy sources is taking place during the period of recovery from the energy crisis and the growth of demand for electricity. Despite this growth, production from coal fell by as much as 24 percent, and from gas by 14 percent. Fossil fuels were being replaced by the growth of production from renewable sources: wind and sun, as well as hydroelectric power plants and greater production in nuclear power plants. In total, almost half of the electricity in the EU comes from renewable sources, and 1/4 from emission-free nuclear power plants.

Thanks to this trend, our energy sector is becoming less emission-intensive. More electricity from renewable sources and nuclear power plants means less carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for ongoing climate change. EU emissions from the energy sector were over 42 percent lower in the first half of the year than in the first half of 2015.

Clean energy production was supported by weather conditions in the first half of the year, but the most important factor, according to the report, was the increase in new wind and solar power plants. – If EU member states maintain the pace of expanding wind and solar power plants, freedom from fossil fuels will become a real prospect – Rosslowe sums up.

Poland is catching up in the energy transformation

A total of thirteen EU countries already produce more electricity from wind and sun than from fossil fuels. In the first half of the year, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary joined this group. – This shows that investments in wind and sun energy are not a passing fad, but a lasting trend and a new foundation for European energy. It is worth paying attention to the largest EU economy: for the first time, Germany produced more electricity from RES than from fossil fuels and reduced the total production of energy from coal and gas – says Aleksander Śniegocki, an expert in energy policy and president of the Reform Institute think tank.

In Poland, the same trend is clearly visible, but we still have a long way to go before wind and sun completely overtake fossil fuels. Solar energy production is constantly growing (37 percent year-on-year increase).

May was a record month for renewable energy in Poland – we had 28 percent of electricity from wind and sun. However, fossil fuels accounted for as much as 68 percent, with the vast majority being coal. On the other hand, in May 2021 it was as much as 80 percent, and coal-based energy production in Poland is currently at a historically low level.

According to Śniegocki, Poland is “starting to join the race” towards zero emissions due to the increase in energy production from the sun and wind. – However, we cannot rest on our laurels. Maintaining good dynamics of transformation requires further investments in networks, energy storage and electrification of heating, transport and industry. In the case of wind turbines, administrative restrictions are also a problem: it is time to complete work on changing the distance act, and in the next step, sensibly accelerate environmental procedures, focusing on those areas where the risks to nature are the lowest – the expert lists.

What energy system in Poland?

In March, the Ministry of Climate and Environment published and submitted to the European Commission a preliminary version of the update of our National Energy and Climate Plan until 2030 (KPEiK).

that renewable energy sources will overtake fossil fuels at the turn of this decade and the next. By 2030, all renewable energy sources (i.e. not only wind and solar, but also hydroelectric and biomass power plants) are to account for 50 percent of electricity production. Along with the greater role of gas, this will mean a significant decrease in the use of coal.

However, this is a conservative scenario of the transformation, which assumes that it will take place without additional support. The ministry is now working on supplementing the plan with an “ambitious” scenario, which is to show a faster pace of development of renewable energy sources, a move away from coal and a perspective for the next decade, until 2040.