Wind and solar plants helped fill gas storage. Savings equal up to 12% of capacity

Higher renewable energy generation has helped save up to 14 bn cubic metres of natural gas since the start of 2022, equivalent to approximately 12% of the capacity of European underground gas storage facilities. Compared with 2021, electricity generation from solar and wind power plants increased by 13% (approximately 71 TWh).

European Union countries responsibly prepared for the heating season last year, also thanks to higher electricity generation from renewable sources. This follows from a study by the Finnish Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which adds that wind and solar power plants across Europe generated a total of 625 TWh of electricity last year.

Filling natural gas storage facilities was one of the main goals of European Union energy policy following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The requirement to fill gas storage facilities to at least 80% before the heating season in 2022 and 90% in 2023 was approved as one of the first emergency measures.

The European Union as a whole ultimately met this target—but not only thanks to higher electricity generation from renewable sources, as the Finnish institute states, but also due to generally lower natural gas consumption across economic sectors.

The increase was driven in particular by newly built capacity, thanks to which the share of electricity generation from wind and solar sources in total generation reached 22%. The Finnish institute adds that this was a higher share than that achieved by gas-fired power plants. Although generation from gas-fired sources faced criticism, it nevertheless accounted for 20% of total electricity generation, given its necessity for meeting electricity demand.

Higher electricity generation from wind and solar power plants also helped save other primary energy sources in the first quarter of this year. When converted into the amount of natural gas consumed, this resulted in savings of a further 2.25 bn cubic metres of natural gas, equivalent to approximately another 2% of gas storage capacity.