Renewables and nuclear power accounted for a record 66% of electricity production across the EU during the first half of 2021, with clean energy proving far more resilient to the pandemic than fossil fuels according to a new analysis from climate think-tank Ember; the latest in a series of bi-annual updates on electricity generation and demand in the EU.
Ember’s figures show that nuclear and renewable generation accounted for 66% of electricity generation across the bloc between January and June 2021, up from 63% during the first half of 2019 – the previous record. Renewables took a 39% generation share and nuclear a 27% share.
The uptick in clean energy generation was largely due to wind and solar, which collectively saw a 9% increase in output. Solar output grew more rapidly than wind, predominantly due to poor weather conditions for wind generation.
Within the same timeframe, coal’s generation share dropped from 16% to 14%. Natural gas did not experience such a steep drop in generation share, but, overall, fossil electricity generation in the EU for H1 of 2021 stood at around half of the levels seen in H1 of 2019.