Energy policies undoubtedly represent one of the areas of action in which the European Union has invested the most in recent times. The direction traced is clear: less fossil fuels, more renewable sources. A path encouraged by numerous measures and culminating with the Green Deal’s objective of reaching zero net emissions by 2050. The effects of the policies adopted in the five years of the Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen will be felt above all over a medium-term horizon . Looking closely, however, the change seems well underway. This was revealed by a document from the international think tank Ember, which analyzed the transformations of the EU electricity sector during the last legislature, i.e. from 2019 to today.
Nuclear still first, wind power overtakes gas
Looking at the EU electricity mix, i.e. the set of primary sources used for the production of electricity, major changes can immediately be seen between 2019 and 2023. Last year, nuclear energy once again confirmed itself as the main EU source with more than a quarter (26.6%) of the electricity produced within the European Union. In 2019, gas was in second place, which in the last five years has seen its share of the energy mix drop from 19.8% to 16.6%. Displacing gas as the EU’s second source is wind, which in 2023 produced 17.5% of the European Union’s energy. This is followed by coal, which goes from 15.7% in 2019 to 12.5% in 2023, and hydroelectric, which goes from 11.1% in 2019 to 11.7% in 2023. Solar is satisfied with sixth place, but it is the energy source that records by far the highest growth rate. In 2019, solar panels generated just 4.3% of the energy produced in the EU. In 2023, the percentage rose to 9.2%.
The growth of renewables
The most striking acceleration among those recorded in the last five years is undoubtedly that relating to wind and solar plants, which from 2019 to 2023 saw their combined electricity production increase by 46%. This growth, explains Ember’s analysis, has made it possible to reduce fossil production by a fifth. Photovoltaics, in particular, has seen a boom, doubling its installed capacity in five years. If we take into consideration all clean sources – i.e. wind, solar, hydroelectric and nuclear – we arrive at 61.4% of the energy produced in the EU in 2023. Five years ago, in 2019, this percentage stopped at 54.8 %. Gas and coal, the two fossil fuels most used in the EU for energy production, saw their weight decrease from 35.5% in 2019 to 29.1% last year, despite a temporary increase during the Covid years . This transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources has allowed the EU to cut emissions from the energy sector by 15% in the space of five years. A rate well above the 4% global average.
Comparison between EU countries
In absolute terms, Italy is the fourth EU country where renewables have grown the most. If gigawatts of installed wind and solar capacity are taken into consideration, Germany dominates the ranking. In 2023, the country led by Olaf Scholz could count on a capacity of 151.2 GW, up 38% compared to 2019. Followed, albeit at a distance, by Spain (62 GW) and France (42.7 GW). Italy, which even five years ago was the third EU country in the renewables ranking, has to settle for fourth place, with 42.1 gigawatts of solar and wind power.
On the cover: The Dukovany nuclear power plant, in the Czech Republic (Dreamstime)
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