Wind and solar overtook fossil gas in Europe for the first time
Wind and solar generated a record one-fifth (22%) of electricity in the European Union in 2022 – overtaking fossil gas (20%) for the first time, according to a new study published today.
Energy think tank Ember’s analysis, “European Electricity Review,” also reveals that coal power share increased by just 1.5 percentage points to generate 16% of EU electricity in 2022, with year-on-year falls in the last four months of 2022 as Europe prevented a threatened return to coal power in the wake of the 2022 energy crisis.
Dave Jones, head of data insights at Ember, said:
Europe has avoided the worst of the energy crisis.
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.
Record wind and solar growth in Europe
Europe faced a triple crisis in the electricity sector in 2022, according to Ember. As Europe scrambled to cut ties with Russia, its largest fossil gas supplier, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it faced the lowest levels of hydro and nuclear in at least 20 years, and that created a deficit equal to 7% of Europe’s total electricity demand in 2022.
But record wind and solar growth helped cushion the hydro and nuclear deficit. Solar rose the fastest, growing by a record 39 TWh (24%) in 2022 – almost twice its previous record – which helped to avoid €10 billion in gas costs. Twenty EU countries set new solar records in 2022.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, said:
Solar is stepping up right when Europe needs it most. These new numbers show that rapid solar growth is truly the foundation of the energy transition.
In 2023, with the right support, solar will break more records, reduce fossil energy demand further, and take us one year closer to a 100% renewable Europe.
Lower electricity demand also helped reduce the deficit. EU electricity demand dropped by 7.9% in the last quarter of 2022 compared to the same period the previous year (-56 TWh). Mild weather played a large part, along with affordability pressures, energy efficiency improvements, and EU citizens actively cutting energy in response to the crisis in Ukraine.
Just one-sixth of the nuclear and hydro deficit was met by coal. Coal generation rose by 7% (+28 TWh). As a result, EU power sector emissions rose by 3.9% (+26 MtCO2) in 2022 compared to 2021. But wind, solar, and a fall in electricity demand prevented a much larger return to coal. So contextually, coal’s rise was not substantial: It remained below 2018 levels and added only 0.3% to global coal generation.
Coal power in the EU fell in all four of the final months of 2022, down 6% year-on-year. The 26 coal units placed on emergency standby for winter ran at an average of just 18% capacity. Despite importing 22 million tonnes of extra coal throughout 2022, the EU only used one-third of it.
Surprisingly, fossil gas generation was almost unchanged (+0.8%) in 2022 compared to 2021, despite record-high prices. Gas generated 20% of EU electricity in 2022, up from 19% the previous year. However, this is expected to change drastically in 2023.
Fossil gas is going to plunge in 2023
In 2023, Europe’s wind and solar transition is expected to speed up in response to the energy crisis, and hydro and French nuclear is going to recover. So fossil fuel generation could drop by 20% in 2023, double the previous record from 2020, according to Ember.
Coal generation will fall, but fossil gas generation, which is expected to remain more expensive than coal until at least 2025, will fall the fastest.
Ember’s Jones said:
Europe’s clean power transition emerges from this crisis stronger than ever.
Not only are European countries still committed to phasing out coal, they are now striving to phase out gas as well. The energy crisis has undoubtedly sped up Europe’s electricity transition. Europe is hurtling towards a clean, electrified economy, and this will be on full display in 2023.
Change is coming fast, and everyone needs to be ready for it.
Read more: Solar will become 10 times cheaper than gas in Europe – study
Photo: Orsted
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Environment
Tesla hires celebrity ambassador despite Elon Musk saying they don’t pay for endorsements
Tesla has hired a celebrity ambassador, a departure from Elon Musk’s policy of not paying for celebrity endorsements.
Musk has often bragged about the fact that Tesla doesn’t pay for celebrity endorsements in contrast to other automakers who hire celebrity brand ambassadors to promote their cars.
Much like advertising, Musk seems to be abandoning this strategy.
Tesla announced that it hired Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji, whose performance at the Paris Olympics this summer went viral, to be the automaker’s brand ambassador in Korea.
Kim said about her new partnership with Tesla:
I’m very excited to work with Tesla, who have recognized me. I hope to convey a positive message together with Tesla.”
Here are a few pictures released to announce her new partnership with Tesla:
Kim’s agency said that her relationship with Tesla started from CEO Elon Musk tweeting about her viral performance at the Olympics:
“The relationship between Kim Ye-ji and Tesla developed after Elon Musk mentioned her. The company said that Kim is Tesla Korea’s first brand ambassador.”
She is not only Tesla Korea’s first ambassador, but she is the first known paid celebrity ambassador for Tesla globally.
The policy change is not entirely surprising since the policy of Musk not paying celebrities to endorse Tesla’s products was often attached to the automaker’s strategy not to advertise.
Musk went as far as to say that he “hates advertising,” and Tesla started advertising last year.
The change in strategy coincidently, or not, came after Musk bought Twitter, a company relying on advertising, and Tesla even started to advertise on Twitter, now called X.
Tesla sales in Korea haven’t been amazing, but the country’s auto market greatly favors domestic brands. The American automaker does fairly well for a foreign brand with the Model Y becoming the best-selling imported vehicle in Korea during the first half of 2024.
Although, it amounted to just over 10,000 units.
Electrek’s Take
It’s a change of strategy, and Elon certainly can’t claim that Tesla doesn’t pay for celebrities to endorse its products, but it is probably a smart move due to the fact that Koreans prefer domestic brands.
Kim could help create a deeper level of attachment to the Tesla brand, but I don’t really know. I’m just speculating.
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Kia just broke its October sales record as its impressive US sales run continues. After another record-breaking month, Kia said the growth is fueled by “strong demand” for its electric vehicles.
Kia sets new October sales record in the US
Kia sold 69,908 vehicles in the US last month, up 16% from its previous October sales record in 2023.
According to Kia, higher demand for its electric models is charging up sales in the US. Kia’s electrified sales (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs) reached its highest ever in October.
All-electric vehicles (EVs) led the way, with sales surging 70% year-over-year (YOY). Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) sales were up 65% and 49%, respectively, from October 2023.
Kia’s first dedicated electric model, the EV6, set a new October sales record with 1,941 units sold. Through the first ten months of 2024, Kia has now sold over 17,700 EV6 models in the US. Meanwhile, its first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, continues to defy expectations.
With another 1,941 models sold last month, Kia EV9 sales reached 17,911 through October. That’s even more than the EV6 despite costing +$12,000 more.
Kia’s first US-made EV9 rolled out of its West Point, GA plant this summer. Although the EV9 is expected to qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit next year, Kia is matching it for now through incentives.
Next year, we will also finally see the EV9 GT, which Kia promises will have “enormous power.” Ahead of its official debut, we got our first look at the sporty electric SUV with an active spoiler last month.
| 2025 Kia EV9 Trim | Starting Price* |
| Light Standard Range | $54,900 |
| Light Long Range | $59,900 |
| Wind | $63,900 |
| Land | $69,900 |
| GT-Line | $73,900 |
Earlier this month, we learned that the 2025 EV9 will start at $54,900 (not including the destination fee), which is only $700 more than the 2024 model.
With prices dropping to potentially under $50,000, Kia’s three-row electric SUV is a steal. If you’re ready to experience the EV9 for yourself, we can help you get started. You can use our links below to view deals on Kia’s electric vehicles in your area.
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The outcome of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5 won’t affect oil production levels in the short- to medium term, Exxon CEO Darren Woods told CNBC on Friday.
Former President Donald Trump has called for unconstrained oil and gas production to lower energy prices and fight inflation, boiling his energy policy down to three words on the campaign trail: “Drill, baby, drill.”
“I’m not sure how drill, baby, drill translates into policy,” Woods told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Friday after the largest U.S. oil and gas company reported third-quarter results.
Woods said U.S. shale production does not face constraints from “external restrictions.” The U.S. has produced record amounts of oil and gas during the Biden administration.
Over the past six years, the U.S. has produced more crude oil than any other nation in history, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Output in the U.S. is driven by the oil and gas industry deploying technology and investment to generate shareholder returns based on the break-even cost of production, the CEO said.
“Certainly we wouldn’t see a change based on a political change but more on an economic environment,” Woods said. “I don’t think there’s anybody out there that’s developing a business strategy to respond to a political agenda,” he said.
While shale production has not faced constraints on developing new acreage, there are resources in areas like the Gulf of Mexico that have not opened up due to federal permitting, the CEO said.
“That could, for the longer term, open up potential sources of supply,” Wood said. In the short- to medium term, however, unconventional shale resources are available and it’s just a matter of developing them based on market dynamics, he said.
Exxon Mobil shares in 2024.
The vast majority of shale resources in the U.S. are on private land and regulated at the state level, according to an August note from Morgan Stanley. About 25% of oil and 10% of natural gas is produced on federal land and waters subject to permitting, according to Morgan Stanley.
Vice President Kamala Harris opposed fracking during her bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She has since reversed that position in an effort to shore up support in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, where the natural gas industry is important for the state’s economy.
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