Renewables accounted for a record share of electricity generation in Europe last year

Electricity from renewable sources accounted for a record 43 percent of total electricity generated in Europe last year, the European Union’s weather service Copernicus said. In addition to new renewable capacity, weather conditions such as above-average rainfall and river flows, which boosted hydropower generation, and strong winds at the end of the year also contributed. In 2022, green electricity accounted for 36 percent of total generation.

In 2023, Europe received seven percent more rainfall than average, and a third of the continent’s river network reached flood stage, according to the agency’s assessment. The potential for generating electricity from rivers therefore increased by several percent to the low tens of percent in a number of countries—particularly Finland, Portugal, Austria and Italy, according to Copernicus data.

In Czechia, the potential for electricity generation from rivers remained largely unchanged, according to the EU agency, as did the potential for solar power generation. Only the potential output of wind farms increased slightly, by several percent. In other European countries, particularly in the Balkans, wind power potential grew by around a fifth year on year, while in western Europe it rose by about eight percent. Copernicus links this development to an increase in storms over the continent in late autumn and winter.

The Czech Republic is below the EU average for electricity generation from renewable sources, Greenbuddies co-owner Aleš Spáčil told ČTK this month, although the share of renewables in the country has increased. It now stands at over 18 percent, he said, compared with around 3.7 percent in 2004.