Renewable energy sources happen to be taking the lead from nuclear as well as fossil fuels when it comes to the EU’s overall production of electricity.
It is well to be noted that, for the very first time, over half of the overall energy production throughout the 27-member states happens to come from renewable sources of energy such as water, solar, wind, and biomass. This is as per the data that’s been rolled out from the Electricity Data Platform.
Apparently, wind energy that is produced in the North Sea is indeed one of the sources of the good news, says Eurelectric’s Savannah Altvater.
Right from 2022 to 2023, the electricity share from the onshore wind turbines in overall energy production surged by 15% and hit 435 TWh from 378 TWh.
In the same period, natural gas production went on to lose ground as the total share decreased to 436 TWh from 541 TWh, a cut of 19%, whereas coal also saw a downfall from 449 TWh to 316 TWh, a 30% slip.
But the largest single energy source still happens to be nuclear power, which by itself comprises 24% of the overall production.
Need for an electrification plan
Though the majority of the EU’s total energy production happens to come from renewable sources, the development still happens to be far from being fast, as per Eurelectric.
Hence, the organization is calling for the EU to go ahead and set targets when it comes to its electrification.
Savannah Altvater says that one needs to go through a large-scale electrification phase in which Europe sets the record straight with interim goals and also cements a crystal clear path to deliver when it comes to electrification, with 35% as a stepping stone by the end of the decade.
This kind of message has already come from Green Power Denmark in May 2024, which proposed that electricity consumption in the EU should go on to touch 4500 TWh by 2030 as opposed to 3080 TWh, which is prevalent today. But this was dismissed in a jiffy by the Minister for Climate, Energy, and Utilities of Denmark, Lars Aagaard, who said that they happen to have a climate target because that’s the goal. Electrification, he added, is not the goal but a means to attain their CO2 displacement objective.