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Europe's clean source of power on a record roll in early 2024: Maguire

A record 60%. of Europe's electrical energy was powered by clean energy sources in. the opening 2 months of 2024, driven by strong yearonyear. development in hydro, solar and wind generation and a rebound in. nuclear power production.

Overall tidy electrical power generation was a record 516.5. terawatt hours in January and February, up 12% from the same. duration in 2023, information from energy think tank Ash programs.

Fossil fuel-powered electricity production was 351 TWh, the. lowest for that duration given that a minimum of 2015 and down over 8% from. the very same months in 2023.

Coal-fired output during January and February was down. almost 15% from the very same period last year, while production from. natural gas-fired plants was down 4%.

CLEAN LEADERS

Nuclear centers remained the biggest single source of. tidy power in Europe, producing 172.5 terawatt hours (TWh) of. electrical power.

That overall was 4.1% more than in the very same months of 2023,. but is the 2nd most affordable for the opening two months of the year. since 2015, following the closure of Germany's nuclear power. plants last year and enduring output problems in France.

Hydro dams were the 2nd largest source of Europe's clean. power, generating 153 TWh of electrical power, or a record 17.6%. share of Europe's overall electrical power generation.

Total hydro electrical energy output was up nearly 23% from the. same period in 2023, thanks to strong output in Norway, France,. Switzerland and Portugal so far this year.

Wind farms produced a record 137.5 TWh of electrical power. during the first 2 months of 2024, up 14% from the exact same period. in 2023.

Solar-powered electrical energy generation likewise scaled a new high. of 24.4 TWh, which was almost 19% more than during the exact same. months of 2023.

GLIDE PATHS

, if Europe's electrical energy generation from solar and wind farms. . continues to expand at the pace seen in recent years, combined. solar and wind output may soon surpass nuclear plants as the. main source of clean power in the continent.

Integrated solar and wind generation has broadened by a yearly. typical rate of 11% each year considering that 2019, while nuclear output. has contracted by around 3% a year over the very same duration.

Far in 2024, the nearly 162 TWh of electricity created. by wind and solar farms was close to 15% more than throughout. January and February of 2023, and was just 7% less than overall. nuclear generation this year.

That suggests that if combined solar and wind output expands. by the very same degree in early 2025, and nuclear generation also. expands by the exact same amount as was seen this year, then total. solar plus wind electricity output might go beyond nuclear. generation as soon as next year.

Such an advancement would assist drive overall clean electricity. generation to new highs, might help utilities make further cuts to. fossil fuel-powered output, and accelerate regional energy. transition and pollution reduction efforts. << The viewpoints expressed here are those of the author, a. columnist .>

(source: Reuters)