Five years of progress

This report evaluates the first five years of the European Green Deal (2019-2024), detailing the transformation of the EU electricity sector through the surge of wind and solar power, the resulting decline in fossil fuel dependency, and the associated economic and emissions benefits.

• Between 2019 and 2024, the EU electricity sector underwent a significant shift from fossil fuels to renewables. Renewables increased their share of the EU electricity mix from 34% (979 TWh) in 2019 to 47% (1,300 TWh) by the end of 2024, while fossil power decreased from 39% (1,130 TWh) to a historic low of 29% (793 TWh). Consequently, the number of EU countries where renewables generate more electricity than fossil fuels grew from 12 to 20.
• The growth of wind and solar power was the primary driver of the clean energy transition. Solar generation rose by 144% (179 TWh), increasing its share of EU generation from 4% in 2019 to 11% in 2024. Wind generation grew by 30% (110 TWh), reaching a 17% share in 2024. In contrast, hydropower capacity remained flat at 130 GW and nuclear capacity decreased from 110 GW to 96 GW over the same period.
• The expansion of wind and solar capacity provided substantial economic and environmental benefits. These additions avoided 15% of fossil generation (736 TWh), preventing approximately 460 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Economically, the EU avoided €59 billion in fossil fuel import costs for power generation, consisting of €53 billion for fossil gas and €6 billion for hard coal.
• Coal and gas usage in the EU power sector has declined, though challenges remain regarding Russian energy. Coal's share of the EU power mix fell from 16% in 2019 to less than 10% in 2024, with Austria, Sweden, and Portugal phasing it out entirely. Gas power fell from 20% (569 TWh) in 2019 to 16% (430 TWh) in 2024. Despite this, Russian gas still accounted for 14% of total EU gas consumption in 2024, with imports from Russia increasing by 18% in 2024 to 45 bcm.
• The EU's electricity emissions intensity decreased by 26% over five years to 213 gCO2 per kWh, a more rapid decline than in the US, where intensity fell by 13% to 361 gCO2 per kWh in 2024.

APA

Ember (2025). Five years of progress. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/five-years-of-progress/

Chicago

Ember. Five years of progress. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/five-years-of-progress/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Five years of progress |date=23 January 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/five-years-of-progress/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2025five, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Five years of progress}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/five-years-of-progress/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }