Green Forum • 2 July, 2024 at 8:00 AM
Clean electricity generation in Europe reached unprecedented levels. In the first half of 2024, renewables accounted for over 50% of total power generation, with nuclear contributing a steady 24%, as reported by Eurelectric's latest figures.
Despite this, electricity demand remains subdued due to sluggish economic growth, mild weather, and industrial shifts abroad. Revitalizing electricity demand is crucial to sustain investments in clean energy.
Europe's power sector is rapidly decarbonizing. Eurelectric's Electricity Data Platform (ELDA) reveals that 74% of EU electricity in H1 2024 came from renewable and low-carbon sources, up from 68% in 2023. This acceleration is attributed to a surge in renewables and stable nuclear output.
"The pace of change is remarkable. These figures underscore that electricity companies are leading in decarbonization efforts," said Eurelectric Secretary General Kristian Ruby.
While supply-side progress is promising, electricity demand has stagnated. H1 2023 saw a 3.4% drop compared to 2022, continuing a decline in 2024 by 2.6% from H1 2022, driven by industrial shifts, warmer weather, energy efficiency gains, and slow economic growth.
"Persistent decline in electricity demand demands urgent policy action to spur investment signals for clean energy," added Kristian Ruby.
Eurelectric urges the new Commission to propose an Electrification Action Plan within its first 100 days, setting a 35% indicative target for 2030 and integrating electrification indicators into national energy plans to ensure progress monitoring. Failure to act risks missing climate goals, hindering renewable growth, and stalling energy transition investments.
ELDA, powered by Eurelectric, stands as a gold standard for reliable electricity data, aggregating 16 million annual data points from diverse sources including ENTSO-E and EU statistics. Validated by experts, ELDA ensures unmatched accuracy and timeliness in electricity data reporting.