The European Power Sector in 2017

In 2017, renewables generated 30% of Europe's electricity for the first time, with wind, solar, and biomass overtaking coal generation. However, overall EU greenhouse gas emissions rose by approximately 1% due to increasing electricity consumption and a significant drop in hydro generation, which was the lowest this century. While Western European nations like the Netherlands, Italy, and Portugal announced coal phase-outs, Eastern European countries continued to rely on coal. The report also highlights the impact of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) reforms and the ongoing negotiations of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package.

• Renewables reached a milestone in 2017, generating 30% of Europe's electricity for the first time, with wind, solar, and biomass generation surpassing coal generation for the first time.
• Wind power saw massive growth in 2017, increasing by 19% (58 Terawatt hours), largely driven by investments and high yields in Germany and the UK.
• Hydroelectric generation experienced its worst year of the century, falling by 54 Terawatt hours due to very low rainfall across all European regions.
• European electricity consumption rose by 0.7% (23 Terawatt hours) in 2017, the third consecutive year of increases, suggesting that energy efficiency efforts are insufficient to keep pace with economic recovery.
• Power sector CO2 emissions remained unchanged at 1019 million tonnes in 2017, but overall EU greenhouse gas emissions rose by approximately 1% due to increased industrial production and gas/oil demand.
• There is a growing divide in coal policy: the Netherlands, Italy, and Portugal announced coal phase-outs in 2017, joining France and the UK, while Eastern European countries continue to use coal.
• Lignite generation remained stable, increasing by 2% (6 Terawatt hours) in 2017, as it is less exposed to international market price changes and current EU ETS reforms are not expected to significantly raise CO2 prices soon.
• Nuclear generation fell by 1% (9 Terawatt hours) in 2017, with France recording its lowest nuclear power production this century due to safety-related shutdowns.
• Gas generation rose by 7% (42 Terawatt hours) in 2017, primarily to fill the electricity gap caused by low hydro generation in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France.
• The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) has a significant surplus of over 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2, meaning the system has not provided a real cap on emissions.

APA

Jones, D., Sakhel, A., Buck, M., & Graichen, P. (2018). The European Power Sector in 2017. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-European-Power-Sector-in-2017.pdf

Chicago

Jones, Dave, Alice Sakhel, Matthias Buck, and Patrick Graichen. The European Power Sector in 2017. Ember, 2018. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-European-Power-Sector-in-2017.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jones |first1=Dave |last2=Sakhel |first2=Alice |last3=Buck |first3=Matthias |last4=Graichen |first4=Patrick |title=The European Power Sector in 2017 |publisher=Ember |date=January 2018 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-European-Power-Sector-in-2017.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jones2018european, author = {Jones, Dave and Sakhel, Alice and Buck, Matthias and Graichen, Patrick}, title = {{The European Power Sector in 2017}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2020/03/The-European-Power-Sector-in-2017.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }