Nothing can stop your yearning for scenery

In the past 2022, a series of factors such as energy crisis and climate crisis made this moment come ahead of time. In any case, this is a small step for the

EU and a big step for mankind.

The future has come! China’s wind power and photovoltaic enterprises have made great contributions!

The new analysis found that in the just past 2022, for the entire EU, wind and solar power generation exceeded any other energy generation for the first time.

According to a report by the climate think-tank Ember, wind energy and photovoltaic provided a record one fifth of the electricity in the EU in 2022 -

which is larger than natural gas power generation or nuclear power generation.

There are three main reasons for this goal to be achieved: in 2022, the EU achieved a record amount of wind power and photovoltaic power generation to

help Europe get rid of the energy crisis, the record drought caused a decline in hydropower and a large area of unexpected power outages in nuclear power.

Of these, about 83% of the electricity gap caused by the decline in hydropower and nuclear power is filled by wind and solar power generation. In addition,

coal did not grow due to the energy crisis caused by the war, which was far lower than some people had expected.

According to the survey results, in 2022, the solar power generation capacity of the whole EU increased by a record 24%, which helped Europe save at least

10 billion euros in natural gas costs. About 20 EU countries have set new records in solar power generation, the most prominent of which are the Netherlands

(yes, the Netherlands), Spain and Germany.

Europe’s largest floating solar park, located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Wind and solar power are expected to continue to grow this year, while hydropower and nuclear power generation may recover. The analysis predicts that

the power generation of fossil fuels may fall by 20% in 2023, which is unprecedented.

All this means that an old era is ending and a new era has come.

01. Record renewable energy

According to the analysis, wind energy and solar energy accounted for 22.3% of EU electricity in 2022, surpassing nuclear energy (21.9%) and natural gas

(19.9%) for the first time, as shown in the figure below.

Previously, wind and solar power surpassed hydropower in 2015 and coal in 2019.

The share of EU power generation by source in 2000-22,%. Source: Ember

This new milestone reflects the record growth of wind and solar energy in Europe and the unexpected decline of nuclear power in 2022.

The report said that last year, Europe’s energy supply faced a “triple crisis”:

The first driving factor is the Russian-Uzbekistan war, which has impacted the global energy system. Before the attack, one third of Europe’s natural gas

came from Russia. However, after the outbreak of the war, Russia restricted the supply of natural gas to Europe, and the European Union imposed new

sanctions on the import of oil and coal from the country.

Despite the turbulence, the EU natural gas production in 2022 remained stable compared with 2021.

This is mainly because natural gas has been more expensive than coal for most of 2021. Dave Jones, the main author of the analysis and director of data

at Ember, said: “It is impossible to further convert from natural gas to coal in 2022.”

The report explains that the other major factors causing the energy crisis in Europe are the decline in the supply of nuclear power and hydropower:

“The 500-year drought in Europe has led to the lowest level of hydropower generation since at least 2000. In addition, at the time of the closure of German

nuclear power plants, a large-scale nuclear power outage occurred in France. All of these have resulted in a power generation gap equivalent to 7% of the

total electricity demand in Europe in 2022.

Among them, about 83% of the shortage is caused by wind and solar power generation and the decline in electricity demand. As for the so-called demand

decline, Ember said that compared with 2021, the demand for electricity in the last quarter of 2022 fell by 8% – this is the result of rising temperature and

public energy conservation.

According to Ember’s data, the EU’s solar power generation increased by a record 24% in 2022, helping the EU save 10 billion euros in natural gas costs.

This is mainly because the EU achieved a record 41GW of new PV installed capacity in 2022 – nearly 50% more than the installed capacity in 2021.

From May to August 2022, PV contributed 12% of the EU’s electricity – this is the first time in history that it exceeded 10% in summer.

In 2022, about 20 EU countries set new records for photovoltaic power generation. The Netherlands ranks first, with photovoltaic power generation

contributing 14%. It is also the first time in the country’s history that photovoltaic power exceeds coal.

02. Coal does not play a role

As EU countries scrambled to give up Russian fossil fuels in early 2022, several EU countries have said that they would consider increasing their

dependence on coal-fired power generation.

However, the report found that coal played a negligible role in helping the EU solve the energy crisis. According to the analysis, only one sixth of

the declining share of nuclear energy and hydropower in 2022 will be filled by coal.

In the last four months of 2022, coal power generation dropped by 6% compared with the same period in 2021. The report said that this was mainly

driven by the decline in electricity demand.

The report added that in the last four months of 2022, only 18% of the 26 coal-fired units put into operation as emergency standby were in operation.

Of the 26 coal-fired units, 9 are in the state of complete shutdown.

Overall, compared with 2021, coal power generation in 2022 increased by 7%. These insignificant increases have increased the carbon emissions of

the EU power sector by nearly 4%.

The report said: “The growth of wind and solar energy and the decline of electricity demand have made coal no longer a good business.

03. Looking forward to 2023, more beautiful scenery

According to the report, according to industry estimates, the growth of wind and solar energy is expected to continue this year.

(Several photovoltaic companies recently visited by Catch Carbon believe that the growth of the European market may slow down this year)

At the same time, hydropower and nuclear power are expected to resume – EDF predicts that many French nuclear power plants will be back online in 2023.

It is predicted that due to these factors, fossil fuel power generation may decline by 20% in 2023.

The report said: “Coal power generation will decline, but before 2025, natural gas power generation, which is more expensive than coal, will decline the fastest.”

The figure below shows how the growth of wind and solar energy and the continuous decline of electricity demand will lead to the decline of fossil fuel

power generation in 2023.

Changes in EU power generation from 2021-2022 and projections from 2022-2023

The survey results show that the energy crisis “undoubtedly accelerated the transformation of electricity in Europe”.

“European countries are not only still committed to phasing out coal, but also are now trying to phase out natural gas. Europe is developing towards

a clean and electrified economy, which will be fully demonstrated in 2023. The change is coming fast, and everyone needs to be prepared for it.