BERLIN (Yahoo News) - Wind and solar power generated a record 22.3% of the European Union’s electricity in 2022, topping the amount generated from gas (19.9%) for the first time, according to a report released Tuesday.
The EU has been pursuing an aggressive transition away from gas and coal (which generated 15.5% of the trading bloc’s electricity last year) in order to meet pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change. The bloc has also been diversifying its energy sources in the wake of Russian oil and gas cuts stemming from Moscow, Ukraine war that have caused prices to soar.
Several factors, however, contributed to slow the transition to cleaner sources of energy in 2022, the report noted, including an 83% drop in the amount of electricity the EU generated in 2022 from hydropower, due to a pervasive drought on the continent. Also, some European nations continued to phase out reliance on nuclear power, and other countries saw a slight uptick in the use of coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels, to make up for Russian gas cuts.
Still, the year ahead is expected to see more dramatic shifts in how Europe generates electricity.
Solar power in the EU rose by a record 24% last year, the report said, with countries like Spain, Germany and the Netherlands all setting new high marks for the amount of power they generated from the sun.
While the transition to clean energy has been rapid as many countries have moved to cut greenhouse gas emissions, some oil companies posted record profits in 2022.