欧洲电力回顾2024（英）

EuropeanElectricityReview2024Europe’s

electricitytransitiontakes

crucialstridesforward2AboutTheEuropeanElectricityReviewanalysesfull-yearelectricitygenerationanddemanddatafor

2023inallEU-27countriesto

understandtheregion’s

progressintransitioningfromfossilfuelsto

cleanelectricity.ItistheeighthannualreportontheEUpowersectorpublishedby

Ember(previouslyasSandbag).Ourdataisfreeandeasilydownloadable,andisavailableatannualandmonthlygranularity.We

hopeothersalsofindthedatausefulfortheirownanalysis.LeadauthorsSarahBrownandDaveJones.OthercontributorsNicolasFulghum,ChelseaBruce-Lockhart,AlisonCandlin,MattEwen,PawełCzyżak,KostantsaRangelova,Leo

Heberer,

ChrisRosslowe,ReynaldoDizon,JosieMurdoch,HannahBroadbent,PhilMacDonald,SamHawkins,RichardBlack,AdityaLolla,HarryBenham.DisclaimerTheinformationinthisreportiscompleteandcorrectto

thebestofourknowledge,butifyouspotanerror,pleaseemailinfo@.CreativeCommonsThisreportispublishedunderaCreativeCommonsShareAlikeAttributionLicence(CCBY-SA

4.0).You

are

activelyencouragedto

shareandadaptthereport,butyoumustcredittheauthorsandtitle,andyoumustshareanymaterialyoucreateunderthesamelicence.Copyright©Ember,

20243Contents05090911ExecutivesummaryChapter1:Pathwayto

cleanpowerEncouragingprogressindifficulttimesChapter2:TheBigPicture12Insight1:Recordfossilcollapseshowstheshiftto

cleanpowerinaction20Insight2:Windandsolarare

drivingrenewablesgrowthtowardsREPowerEUtargets3036454649535758626670747882Insight3:After

disruptionto

demand,anincreaseisonthehorizonInsight4:TheEUmovestowardsanewmodeof

systemflexibilityChapter3:EUElectricityTrendsElectricityGeneration:EUElectricityTrends

2023ElectricityDemand:EUElectricityTrends

2023PowerSectorCO2Emissions:EUElectricityTrends

2023Chapter4:EUElectricitySourceTrendsSolarWindCoalGasHydroNuclearBioenergy4Contents86878794ConclusionSupportingmaterialsMethodologyAcknowledgementsHighlights-19%44%55TWhRecordfallinbothfossilgenerationandCO2emissionsRecordshareof

renewablesintheEUelectricitymix,over40%for

thefirsttimeRecordannualgrowthinwindgenerationpushesitabovegasfor

thefirsttimeExecutive

SummaryEurope’s

electricitytransition

takes

crucialstridesforwardArecordfallincoal,gasandCO2emissionsin2023lefttheEUwithacleanerelectricitymixthanever,

asrenewablestookmajorstepsforward.TheEU’s

electricitytransitionisinfullswing.6TheEUaccelerateditsshiftawayfromfossilfuelsin2023,withrecordfallsincoal,gasandemissions.Fossilfuelsdroppedby

arecord19%to

theirlowesteverlevelatlessthanonethirdof

theEU’s

electricitygeneration.Renewablesroseto

arecord44%share,

surpassing40%for

thefirsttime.Windandsolarcontinuedto

bethedriversof

thisrenewablesgrowth,producingarecord27%of

EUelectricityin2023andachievingtheirlargesteverannualcapacityadditions.Furthermore,windgenerationreachedamajormilestone,surpassinggasfor

thefirsttime.Cleangenerationreachedmorethantwo-thirdsof

EUelectricity,doublefossil’s

share,ashydro

reboundedandnuclearpartiallyrecoveredfromlastyear’s

lowsalongsidetheincreaseinwindandsolar.Coalwasalreadyinlong-termdecline,andthattrendresumedin2023.Thetemporaryslowdownincoalplantclosuresduringtheenergycrisisdidnot

preventahugefallincoalgenerationthisyear,

withawaveof

plantclosuresimminentin2024.Gasgenerationfellfor

thefourthconsecutiveyear,

andascoalnearsphase-outinmanycountries,gaswillbenextto

enterterminaldecline.Inadditionto

cleangrowth,fallingelectricitydemandalsocontributedto

thedropinfossilfuelgeneration.Demandfell

by

3.4%

(-94TWh)in2023comparedto

2022,andwas6.4%(-186TWh)lowerthan2021levelswhentheenergycrisisbegan.Thistrajectoryisunlikelyto

continue.Withincreasedelectrification,thisrate

of

demandfallisnot

expectedto

berepeatedinthecomingyears.To

reducefossilfuelsatthespeedrequiredto

hitEUclimategoals,renewableswillneedto

keep

paceasdemandincreases.7TheEUisfirmlyonitswayto

transitionfromafossil-basedsystemto

onewherewindandsolarare

thebackbone.In2023,24%of

hourssawlessthanaquarterof

electricitycomingfromfossilfuels,amajorstepupfromjust4%of

hoursin2022.As

thisshiftbecomesevenmoreevident,sodoestheimportanceof

enablersof

acleanpowersystem.Alongsidewindandsolargrowth,grids,storageanddemandsideresponsewilldeterminethepowersystemof

thefuture.01UnprecedentedcollapseincoalandgasgenerationFossilgenerationplummetedby

arecord19%(-209TWh)in2023,to

accountforlessthanathirdof

theEU’s

electricitymixfor

thefirsttime.Coalgenerationfellby

26%(-116TWh)to

itslowestlevelever(333TWh),makingupjust12%of

theEUelectricitymixin2023.Coalgenerationhalvedfrom2016to

2023(-327TWh)dueto

asimilarriseinwindandsolargeneration(+354TWh).Coalplantclosuresslowedduringtheenergycrisis,butcoal’s

structuraldeclinecontinuesasafifthof

theEU’s

coalfleetwillshutdownin2024and2025.Thecollapseincoaldidnotresultinariseingas.Gasgenerationfell

by

15%(-82TWh)to

452TWh,thelargestannualreductionsinceatleast1990.Thiswasthefourthconsecutiveyearof

gasgenerationdecline,withgasaccountingfor

17%of

totalEUgenerationin2023.02RecordfallinEUpowersectoremissionsEUpowersectoremissionsfell

arecord19%(-157milliontonnesof

carbondioxideequivalent)in2023.Thiseclipsedtheprevioushighestannualdropof

13%in2020,whentheCovid-19pandemicstruck.Powersectoremissionshavenowalmostbeencutinhalf(-46%)sincetheirpeakin2007.

Elevencountriesachievedtheirlargestemissionsfallsever.

Windandsolargrowthwasresponsiblefor

muchof

thedecline,withelectricitydemandalsoplayingasignificantrole.

Electricitydemanddroppedby

3.4%in2023.Thismeantdemandwas6.4%lowerin2023thanitwasin2021whentheenergycrisisbegan–justoverathird(38%)of

thefallinthatperiodcanbeattributedto

areductioninindustrialelectricityconsumption03Windpowerexceedsgasfor

thefirsttimeWindpowersawrecordannualgenerationgrowthin2023of

55TWh(+13%).Thisresultedingenerationfromwindsurpassinggasfor

thefirsttime.Electricityproducedfromwindwas475TWh,equivalentto

France’s

totalelectricitydemand,comparedto

452TWhfromgas.Thiswastheonlyyearthatwindgenerationexceededthatof

coal(333TWh)asidefrom2020amidCovid-19impacts.17GW

of

windpowerwasinstalledin2023comparedto

16GW

in2022,marginallyachievingthehighesteverannualcapacityincrease.However,

thisdeploymentrate

needsto

almostdoubleto

over30GW

peryearto

2030iftheEUistoachieveitstargets.804Windandsolardriverecordshareof

renewablesFor

thefirsttime,morethanaquarterof

EUelectricity(27%)wasprovidedbywindandsolarin2023,upfrom23%in2022.Thisdrove

renewableelectricitytoarecordhighof

44%,passingthe40%markfor

thefirstyearintheEU’s

history.Combinedwindandsolargenerationincreasedby

arecord90TWhandinstalledcapacityby

73GW.

Solarcontinueditsstronggrowthwith56GW

of

additionalcapacityin2023,comparedto

41GW

in2022(+37%).Butsolarfailedto

matchits2022year-on-yeargenerationgrowth(+36TWhin2023versus+48TWhin2022).TheEU’s

electricitysystemcontinueditsshifttowardsonepoweredby

windandsolaras24%of

hourssawlessthanaquarterof

electricitycomingfromfossilfuels,upfromjust4%of

hoursin2022.Grids,storageandotherenablersof

systemflexibilitywillbeincreasinglycriticalaswindandsolar’ssharecontinuesto

grow.TheEU’s

powersectorisinthemiddleof

amonumentalshift.Fossilfuelsare

playingasmallerrolethaneverasasystemwithwindandsolarasitsbackbonecomesintoview.

TheenergycrisisandRussia’s

invasionof

Ukrainedidnot

leadto

coalandgasresurgence—farfromit.Coalisnearingphase-out,andaswindandsolargrow,

gaswillbenextto

enterterminaldecline.Howeveritisnot

timeto

get

complacent.TheEUneedsalaserfocusonrapidlydeployingwind,solarandflexibilityto

createasystemfreeof

fossilfuels.SarahBrownEuropeProgrammeDirector,

EmberChapter

1

•

Pathway

to

cleanpowerEncouraging

progressindifficult

timesEurope’s

powersectortransitionmadecrucialprogressin2023astheenergysystememergedfromaperiodcharacterisedby

highpricesandpoliticalintervention.WhiletheEUstrengthenedrenewablesambitioninresponse,MemberStatesare

not

yet

aiminghighenoughfor

commonEUgoals,anddeliveryremainstoo

slow.Thegascrisisof

2022exposedthemanycostsof

fossilfueldependency.Itcostgovernmentsbillionsof

eurosinenergysubsidies,plungedmillionsof

Europeansintoenergypoverty,

putglobalenergysecurityatriskanddrove

inflationto

thehighestlevelsindecades.Whileconsumersandbusinessesstillstrugglewiththeeconomicfallout,theclimatecrisiscontinuesto

intensify,with2023thesecondhottest

yearonrecordinEurope.Againstthisbackdrop,

itisclearthatthetransitionto

affordablerenewablepowerwillhelponmultiplefronts.Thereare

encouragingsignsthatEuropeisbolsteringitsambitionandpickingupthepace,butdeliveryisstillnot

fastenoughfor

theEU’senergygoalsorinternationalclimateobligations.As

windandsolarpowerreachnewhighsacrossEurope,targetsset

by

theEUanditsMemberStateshavebegunto

shiftto

reflectafutureenergysystemdominatedbyrenewablepower.TheREPowerEUplan

foresees72%of

powergenerationcomingfromrenewablesby

2030,upfrom44%in2023.Thisisdrivenby

windandsolar,whichwilldoublefrom27%in2023to

55%in2030.EUMemberStateshavestartedto

realigntheirNationalEnergyandClimatePlans(NECPs)withthisfuture,increasingtheir2030windandsolartargetsby

45%and70%respectively,

comparedto

justfour

yearsago.Whilenot

yet

sufficient

to

deliveronEUgoals,thelatestplansputwindandsolarontrackto

producethemajorityof

EUpowerby

2030,withwindasthesinglelargestsource.10Europe’s

directionof

traveltowardscleanpowerwasentrenchedfurtherby

key

politicalstatementsin2023.SeveninterconnectedMemberStatespledgedto

decarbonisetheirpowersystemsby

2035,meaning10MemberStateshavenowformallyalignedwiththiscriticalmilestonefor

net

zero.Furthermore,Czechia,Europe’s

thirdlargestcoalpowerproducer,

joinedthePoweringPastCoalAlliance.TheyearconcludedwiththecallfromCOP28to

transitionawayfromfossilfuels,includingtheEUadvocatingfor

thetriplingof

renewablesanddoublingof

therate

of

energyefficiencyimprovementsgloballyby

2030.Thiscanbeseenasaglobalrecognitionof

thesekey

toolsfor

climateaction,andplacesevenmoreemphasisontheEUto

deliver.Heightenedambitionsmeannothingwithoutdelivery.

Despitebreakingrecordsin2023,windpowercontinuedto

struggleagainsteconomicheadwinds.DeploymentmustbeacceleratedifEUgoalsare

to

beachieved.Theroll-outof

solarpowerisamorepositivestory,

withstrongcapacitygrowthmaintainedin2023,butnowisnot

thetimefor

complacency.Thechallengesfacingthepowersectortransitionare

complexbutincreasinglywellunderstood:fromslowpermittingto

outdatedgridinfrastructureandvulnerabilityto

globalsupplychains.Thesecomplexchallengesrequirededicatedaction,guidedby

aclearandunitedvisionfor

acleanpowersystem.Thepowersectortransitionmustremainapoliticalfocusin2024inorderto

consolidateandbuildontheprogressmadelastyear.

Ahighlyelectrifiedenergysystembasedoncheap,domesticrenewablescanpowerEurope’s

economywhileslashingcarbonemissions.Rapidprogressisessentialinorderto

seizethecommercialadvantages,upholdinternationalclimatecommitments,andexpeditethebenefitsof

cheaprenewablesacrossEurope.Chapter

2

•

InsightsTheBigPictureThebiggeststoriesof

2023:Fossilpowercollapsedaswindandsolarhitnewrecordsanddemandslumped.Flexibilityemergedaskey

tosteppingupthispowersystemshift.Chaptercontents12Insight1:Recordfossilcollapseshowstheshiftto

cleanpowerinaction20Insight2:Windandsolarare

drivingrenewablesgrowthtowardsREPowerEUtargets3036Insight3:After

disruptionto

demand,anincreaseisonthehorizonInsight4:TheEUmovestowardsanewmodeof

systemflexibility12Insight1:Record

fossil

collapseshows

theshift

to

cleanpower

inaction2023followedanextremelyturbulentyearfor

EUelectricity.In2022,hydro

generationhitarecordlowdueto

extremedroughts,andnucleargenerationdroppedto

thelowestoutputin30yearsdueto

unexpectedoutagesatFrenchnuclearplants.Combined,theseleftagapof

7%of

theEU’s

overallgeneration,pushingfossilgenerationupby

2%in2022.Goinginto2023,theexpectationwasthatfossilfuelgenerationwouldrapidlyfallto

correctfor

these.2023didnot

disappoint.Arecordfallincoal,gasandCO2emissionsin2023lefttheEUwithacleanerelectricitymixthanever,

amidaprogressingenergytransitionandasustainedresponseto

turbulentconditions.Thetemporaryslowdownincoalplantclosuresduringtheenergycrisisdidnot

preventahugefallincoalgenerationthisyear,

andgasgenerationfell

for

thefourthconsecutiveyear.13Recordfallsincoalandgasasfossilfuelsdropbelowathirdof

EUpowerBothcoalandgasgenerationhadarecordpercentagefallin2023,leadingto

arecorddropinpowersectorCO2emissionsaswell.Fossilgenerationfell

to

lessthanathirdof

theEU’s

electricity(33%)for

thefirsttimeever.Coalgenerationfell

by

26%(-116TWh)to

333TWh,thelargestannualpercentagereductionsinceatleast1990.As

aresult,coaldroppedto

thelowestlevelever,

belowthepreviousrecordlowin2020(352TWh),morethanerasingtheupticksduringthelasttwoyears(+96

TWh).Coalmadeupjust12%of

theEU’s

electricityin2023.Gasgenerationfell

by

15%to

452TWh.Thisisthebiggestannualreductionsinceatleast1990andthefourthyearinarow

thatithasdeclined.In2023,gasgenerationwas20%belowthepre-Covidlevelin2019(569TWh),butitwasstillabovethelowestyearonrecord.At

17%of

theEU’s

electricitymix,gasgeneratedmorepowerthancoal(12%)in2023.RecordfallinpowersectoremissionsPowersectoremissionsfell

by

19%(-157milliontonnesCO2(MtCO2)),alsoarecordannualdeclineandthelargestdropsinceatleast1990.Itisunusualthatlargereductionsincoalandgasgenerationhappensimultaneously,sincefallsoften

occurdueto

switchingfromonefuelto

another.

As

aresult,2023’s

emissionsfalleclipsedthepreviousrecord13%dropin2020amidimpactsfromCovid-19.

Powersectoremissionsin2023are

nowalmosthalf(-46%)theirpeak,whichoccurredin2007.14ElevenEUcountriesset

recordsfor

theirbiggestannualpercentagefallsinpowersectorCO2emissions.Ofthese,Bulgariarecordedthelargestfallin2023at44%,primarilybecauseitexportedlesscoalpower.

Spain’s

emissionsfell

by

25%,dueequallyto

ariseinsolarandafallinelectricitydemand.Germany’semissionsfell

by

21%,muchof

whichwasdueto

ariseinwindandsolarreplacingcoalgeneration(whilstincreasedelectricityimportsmet

thefallinnucleargenerationasGermanycloseditsfinalreactors).TheNetherlands’emissionsfell

by

16%aswindsignificantlyincreased.Czechia’s

emissionsfell

by

16%asitwasunableto

exportasmuchcostlycoalgeneration.Poland’s

fell

by

15%ascoalgenerationwasreplacedby

acombinationof

morewind,solarandgas,moreelectricityimportsandlowerdemand.Fossilfell

dueto

amixof

factorsFossilfuelgenerationfell

by

arecord209TWh(-19%)in2023.Risingwindandsolargenerationcontributedto

43%(90TWh)of

thefallinfossilfuelgeneration.Declinesinelectricitydemandaccountedfor

45%of

thedrop.Inaddition,hydrogenerationreboundedsignificantlyin2023(+15%)aftera1-in-500yeardroughthitmainlandEuropein2022.Frenchnucleargenerationalsorecoveredafterhugefallsin2022dueto

extendedplantoutages,whichmeantEUnucleargenerationwasup1.5%.Thesubstantialfallinfossilgenerationwasanticipated.Lastyear,

Emberpredicteda20%(211TWh)dropinfossilgeneration

for

2023,comparedto

anactual19%(209TWh)decline.1516WhatEmber’s

analysisdidnot

anticipatewasthatthemajorityof

thefallinfossilfuelusewouldbefromcoalgeneration.Outof

the209TWhdrop,

overhalf(56%,116TWh)wascoal.Gasgenerationwasfarmoreexpensivethancoalthroughout2022,butthisdidnotpersistfor

longinto2023,asgasgenerationcostsreturnedto

similarlevelsascoal.Europe’s

coalphase-outgatherspaceCoalgenerationfell

by

arecord26%in2023.However,

amidsttheenergycrisis,only4%of

theEU’s

coalfleet(4GW)

closedfrom2021to

2023.Theclosuresof

somecoalpowerplantswerepostponedandasmallproportionof

unitscamebackintooperationaspartofemergencyreserves.Thisisaboutto

change.Afifth(21GW)

of

theEU’s

coalfleetwillclosein2024and2025.Thisincludes10GW

of

coalpowerplantsinGermany,

mostof

whichare

scheduledtoshutdowninApril2024.In2025,alargenumberof

coalplantswillcloseinItaly,

PolandandGreece.Spainwillcloseitsremainingcoalpowerplantsin2025.17Theseclosurescontinueapatternof

structuraldeclinefor

coalintheEU,

alongsideashiftto

renewables.EUcoalgenerationhashalvedsince2016(-49.5%).

Coalgenerationfell

by327TWhfrom2016to

2023,comparedto

ariseinwindandsolargenerationof

354TWh.Thehalvingof

coalcanbecompletelyattributedto

theriseinwindandsolargeneration.Coal’s

declinedidnot

leadto

highergasgeneration:evenascoalgenerationhalved,gasgenerationshowedaslightfall(-3%)since2016.As

coalnearsitsenddateacrosstheEU,

thenextbigshiftwillbeawayfromgas.Inmanycountries,coalhasbeenalmostphasedout,soasthebuild-outof

windandsolaracceleratesgasgenerationwillalsobeginto

fall.Thisisespeciallytrueinthekey

gasburningcountriesof

Italy,

SpainandtheNetherlands,whichaccountedfor

half(51%)of

theEU’s

gasgenerationin2023.Across2023,theshareof

coalinthesecountrieshadfallento5%,1.5%and7%respectively;inmultiplehourstherewasnocoalgenerationrunning.1819TheEUhasmadehugestridesinitselectricitytransitionin2023,withfossilfuelsnowmakinguplessthanathirdof

theEU’s

electricity.Theslowdownof

coalplantclosuresduringtheenergycrisisdidnot

preventasubstantialfallincoalgenerationthisyearandthecoalphase-outcontinues.Gasgenerationhasfallenfor

thelastfour

consecutiveyearsanditsdeclinelooksset

to

gatherpace.As

fossilfuelsget

pushedfurtheroutof

theelectricitymix,emissionswillfallatafasterpacetowardstheEU’s

2030reductiontargets.20Insight2:Windandsolarare

drivingrenewables

growth

towardsREPowerEU

targetsForthefirsttime,morethanaquarterof

EUelectricity(27%)camefromwindandsolarin2023,with10countriesabovethislevel.Windandsolardrove

renewableelectricitypastthe40%markfor

thefirstyearinEU’shistoryaswell,reaching44%of

EUelectricitygenerationin2023.21Theshareof

renewableelectricityincreasedby

14percentagepointsinthelastsevenyears,butthispaceneedsto

almostdoubleoverthenextsevento

reachthe72%ofgenerationtargetproposedinREPowerEU.Therenewablesgrowthsince2017hascomefromincreasedwindandsolargeneration,withbioenergystagnantandhydro

decliningoverthesameperiod.Windandsolarare

growing,butpacemustincreaseIn2023,windgenerationgrewby

55TWh(+13%)andsolarby

36TWh(+17%)comparedto2022.Combined,windandsolarachievedtheirhighestyear-on-yearincreaseonrecord.Andwindexceededitspreviouspeakannualgrowthof

45TWh(+17%)in2017by

8TWh.However,

afteranexceptionalyearin2022,solargenerationgrowthwaslowerin2023by

25%,droppingfrom48TWhto

36TWh.Andwhilewindgenerationgrowthwasstrongin2023,ithasbeeninconsistentoverthepastdecade.Thisisconcerning,becausetoreachtheEU’s

2030climatetargetsandstayontrackfor

1.5C,thepaceof

windandsolardeploymentneedsto

beaccelerating.22Wind’s

strongperformancein2023ledto

animportantmilestone:windalonesurpassedEUgaspowerfor

thefirsttime,reaching18%of

electricitygeneration(475TWhcomparedto

452TWhfor

gas).2023wasalsothefirstyear(otherthanCovid-19-impacted2020)whenwindelectricityexceededcoal(333TWh).TheEU’s

total

installedwindcapacitygrewby

17GW

(+8%)in2023upto

219GW.23Still,evenwind’s

13%rateof

generationgrowthisnot

enoughto

meettheREPowerEUtargetsthatwouldrequireatleast15%yearlyincreasesinwindelectricitygeneration,consistentlyuntil2030.Wind’s

futureisstillto

bedeterminedSeveralriskfactorshavehistoricallynegativelyimpactedwindpowerdeployment,andcouldagain.Thefactor

mentionedmostoftenislongpermittingtimesexceedingfouryears

inalmostallEUcountriesfor

onshorewind,andtwicethatormorefor

offshore

wind.Meanwhile,theindustryhasbeenflaggingariseincostsacrossthesupplychain

andtherehavealsobeenreportedtechnicalissueswithsomewindturbines.However,

thereweresomepositiveindicationsfor

windin2023.ThefirstoffshorewindauctionwasresolvedinLithuania,LatviaannouncedapotentialincreaseinitsfirstoffshorewindfarmcapacityELWIND

andGermanauctionsawarded7GW

of

offshore

windprojects.Alsopositively,

inalong-awaitedmove,thePolishgovernmentchanged

theveryrestrictiveonshorewinddistancinglaw

andtheHungariangovernmentissendingpositivesignals

aboutasimilarlegislativechangeaswell.2024willbeadefiningyearfor

offshore

wind,witharecord50GW

of

offshore

windduetobeauctioned.Theresultsof

theseauctionswillindicatejusthowimportant,ornot,offshorewindwillbeto

Europe’s

energyfuture.Despitefears,solarisgoingstrongRecentconcernsforsolardeploymenthaveincludedcurtailment,panelstockpilingandgridconnectionqueues,butdatafrom2023

showsthatsolarpowerishittingcapacityrecords.Anadditional56GW

of

solarcapacitywasinstalledin2023,whichisasignificantincreasecomparedto

the41GW

addedin2022.Cumulatively,solarcapacitynowstandsat263GW.

TheinstalledcapacitygrowththisyearputstheEUinlinewithSolarPowerEurope’s

mostlikelyscenario,whichestimated54GW

additionsfor

2023,andontracktosurpasstheREPowerEUcapacitygoalof

380GW

by

2025.Solarelectricitygenerationgrewby

36TWhin2023,reaching9%of

theEU’s

totalelectricitygeneration.However,

thegrowthingenerationdidnot

matchtherecordhighcapacityadditions.Infact,theyearlygenerationincreasewaslowerthanin2022.Adropincapacityfactors(howmuchelectricityisproducedcomparedwithaplant’s

maximumpotentialoutput)canbeattributedto

lowerirradiationinkey

solarenergyproducingcountries,suchasGermanyandItaly.

LookingattheGlobalHorizontalIrradiation

(GHI)valuesweightedby

capacity,

onaveragesolarirradiation

acrossEUcountrieswas3.4%below2022levels.24Additionally,itisapparentfromEmber’s

analysisthatsystemoperatorsinmanycountriesare

strugglingto

measurebehind-the-metersolaraccuratelyascapacityrapidlyincreases.Taking

thisandweatheradjustmentsintoaccount,weestimatethatsolargenerationprobablygrewby

atleast47TWhin2023ratherthan36TWh.However,

theannualgrowthwouldstillbemarginallybelowthatseenin2022(48TWh).Thisstructuralunder-reportingof

solargenerationalsomakesitappearthatelectricitydemandisfallingfasterthanitactuallyis.Moreandmorepowersystemsare

runningwithveryhighrenewablessharesManyexamplesshowrenewables-basedpowersystemsworkingreliablywithupto

100%renewableelectricityshares.Greeceranon100%renewables

for

5hoursinOctober2022andinJuly2023hit87consecutivehourswithoutlignite

andwithrenewablessharesupto

84%.Portugalranentirelyonrenewablesfor6consecutivedays

inNovember2023.InPoland,acountryhistoricallyalmostfullydependentoncoal,renewablescovered67%of

domesticpowerdemand

inpeakmomentsinJune2023–anumbersignificantlyexceedingtheoftenrepeatedthresholdof

50%.IntheNetherlands,therewereapproximately140hours

inJuneinwhichelectric