The European Power Sector in 2020

This report by Agora Energiewende and Ember analyzes the European power sector in 2020, highlighting a milestone where renewables overtook fossil fuels as the primary source of electricity for the first time in the EU.

• In 2020, renewables became the EU's primary electricity source for the first time, generating 38% of electricity compared to 37% from fossil-fired generation. This milestone was also achieved at the country level by Germany, Spain, and the UK.
• Wind and solar generation grew by 10% in the EU-27 in 2020, together providing 20% of Europe's electricity. Wind supplied 14% and solar supplied 5%. To meet 2030 green deal targets for 55% GHG reductions, annual wind and solar growth must nearly triple from the 2010-2020 average of 38 TWh/year to approximately 100 TWh/year.
• Coal generation in Europe fell by 20% in 2020 to 365 terawatt-hours, representing a 48% decrease since 2015. Coal supplied only 13% of Europe's electricity in 2020. Half of the 2020 decline was attributed to a 4% drop in electricity demand caused by Covid-19, while the other half was due to increased wind and solar generation.
• Gas generation fell by only 4% in 2020 and remained 14% higher than 2015 levels, supplying 20% of Europe's electricity. Gas remained the cheapest fossil generation option due to low prices and a robust carbon price, and in some months it was cheaper than lignite.
• Nuclear generation experienced a record 10% decline in 2020, the largest fall since at least 1990. Significant reductions occurred in France (down 44TWh), Sweden (down 17TWh), Germany (down 11TWh), and Belgium (down 9TWh).
• The carbon intensity of Europe's electricity fell from 317 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour in 2015 to 226 grams in 2020, making the electricity 29% cleaner. However, 43% of the decline in coal generation since 2015 has been offset by increased gas generation.

APA

Redl, C., Hein, F., Buck, M., Graichen, D. P., & Jones, D. (2021). The European Power Sector in 2020. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/European-Power-Sector-in-2020.pdf

Chicago

Redl, Christian, Fabian Hein, Matthias Buck, Dr. Patrick Graichen, and Dave Jones. The European Power Sector in 2020. Ember, 2021. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/European-Power-Sector-in-2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Redl |first1=Christian |last2=Hein |first2=Fabian |last3=Buck |first3=Matthias |last4=Graichen |first4=Dr. Patrick |last5=Jones |first5=Dave |title=The European Power Sector in 2020 |publisher=Ember |date=January 2021 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/European-Power-Sector-in-2020.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{redl2021european, author = {Redl, Christian and Hein, Fabian and Buck, Matthias and Graichen, Dr. Patrick and Jones, Dave}, title = {{The European Power Sector in 2020}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/European-Power-Sector-in-2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }