Five years of progress

Since the launch of the European Green Deal in 2019, the EU has seen a significant transformation of its power sector, with renewables increasing from 34% to 47% of the electricity mix by 2024. This shift was primarily driven by wind and solar, which together increased their share from 17% to 29%. This transition reduced the emissions intensity of EU electricity generation by 26% and avoided €59 billion in fossil fuel import costs. While coal use has dropped from 16% to under 10% of the mix, and gas power has declined from 20% to 16%, the EU still faces challenges with Russian gas imports, which accounted for 14% of total gas consumption in 2024.

• Between 2019 and 2024, the EU electricity mix underwent a deep transformation: renewables grew from 34% (979 TWh) to 47% (1,300 TWh), while fossil fuels dropped from 39% (1,130 TWh) to a historic low of 29% (793 TWh).
• The growth of wind and solar was the primary driver of the clean power surge. Solar generation increased by 144% (179 TWh), rising from a 4% share in 2019 to 11% in 2024. Wind generation grew by 30% (110 TWh), increasing its share from 13% in 2019 to 17% in 2024.
• The expansion of wind and solar capacity saved the EU €59 billion in fossil fuel import costs for power generation, consisting of €53 billion for fossil gas and €6 billion for hard coal.
• Coal's role in the EU power mix fell from 16% in 2019 to less than 10% in 2024. Austria, Sweden, and Portugal completely phased out coal during this period, and 11 more EU countries have announced a full phaseout by 2030.
• Despite a general decline in gas power—from 20% of the mix in 2019 to 16% in 2024—Russian gas imports increased by 18% in 2024 (from 38 bcm to 45 bcm), largely due to higher imports into Italy, Czechia, and France.

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} }