The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is accelerating Europe's use of renewable energy.

Before the Russian offensive began a year ago, Russia supplied 40 percent of natural gas and 27 percent of oil imports to Europe.

But in 2022, solar and wind power generated more than a fifth (22%) of the European Union's electricity, surpassing fossil fuels (20%) for the first time.

A 2023 report from the energy think tank Ember predicts a 20% drop in EU fossil fuel-generated energy this year.

While there was a rise in coal use in 2022 after sanctions on Russian oil and gas caused instability within the energy market, experts say it was temporary.

"The shocks of 2022 only caused a minor ripple in coal power and a huge wave of support for renewables. Any fears of a coal rebound are now dead," said Ember’s Head of Data Insights, Dave Jones.

In response to limited supplies of Russian energy because of restrictions from the Kremlin, the EU launched a $320 billion program to promote renewable power.

"The EU now understands that if we want to increase our energy sovereignty, it can only go through renewables because we have very little gas left, we have almost no coal left, and we have no oil," said Frans Timmermans, the commissioner in charge of the European Green Deal.

Some EU member countries reduced their natural gas consumption by more than 20 percent this year, according to Timmermans.

Solar power grew the fastest across the bloc, reaching a record 24 percent in 2022.

The Netherlands and Greece generated more power from solar than coal for the first time, the World Economic Forum reports. Greece is expected to reach its 2030 solar energy goals by the end of this year.

While the EU may be boosting its use of renewable energy, the bloc also needs to secure a stable gas supply from places other than Russia, the European Council on Foreign Relations reports.

The Council predicts competition among liquified natural gas importers will intensify in 2023, and there won't be any growth in the world market, making it harder for the EU to buy the gas.

The EU says it expects renewable energy sources to makeup 45% of its energy mix by 2030, according to the REPower EU plan.

But the International Energy Agency says although there have been gains in renewable energy usage, the region needs to ramp up the energy transition. 
 

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