The Big Picture

In 2022, the EU experienced a temporary 7% rise in coal generation driven by shortfalls in nuclear and hydro power, rather than a structural 'return to coal'. This was offset by a record surge in solar capacity and a significant 7.9% drop in electricity demand in Q4 2022. Solar power generated 7.3% of EU electricity, avoiding approximately 249 billion in gas import costs. Looking ahead to 2023, the report forecasts a potential 20% plummet in fossil fuel generation as French nuclear capacity returns and renewable capacity continues to grow.

• The perceived 'return to coal' in Europe during 2022 was a temporary uptick rather than a structural shift; EU coal generation remained 37% below 2015 levels and provided only 16% of the EU
  s electricity.
• The 7% increase in EU coal generation in 2022 was primarily a response to a 185 TWh shortfall in nuclear and hydro generation, with coal filling only one-sixth of that gap.
• Europe experienced its worst drought in at least 500 years in 2022, causing hydro generation to fall by 19% year-on-year to 283 TWh, with the Alpine region most affected.
• EU nuclear power generation fell by 16% (119 TWh) in 2022, largely due to outages in France, where output reached its lowest level in 30 years.
• Electricity demand in the EU fell by 7.9% in the fourth quarter of 2022, a scale similar to the Covid-19 lockdowns, which contributed to a 9% fall in coal and gas generation during that period.
• Solar power saw record growth in 2022, with capacity increasing by 25% to 209 GW and generation rising by 39 TWh, which saved the EU approximately 249 billion in gas import costs.
• The Netherlands emerged as a solar leader in 2022, generating 14% of its electricity from solar, supported by net-metering for residential rooftop solar.
• Fossil fuel generation across the EU is projected to plummet by 20% (211 TWh) in 2023, driven by the return of French nuclear plants, increased renewable capacity, and continued declines in electricity demand.

APA

Ember (2023). The Big Picture. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture-eer23/

Chicago

Ember. The Big Picture. 2023. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture-eer23/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=The Big Picture |date=31 January 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture-eer23/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2023big, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{The Big Picture}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/the-big-picture-eer23/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }