Coal generation was overtaken by wind and solar for the first time in five key European markets last year, according to recent research by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables.
As illustrated in the report, ‘European power supply: 2018 in review’, in 2018, the combined share of wind and solar in Europe's largest electricity markets – Germany, France, Italy, Iberia (Spain & Portugal) and the UK - increased marginally to 17%, lifting it above coal for the first time.
“An end to the drought conditions which defined 2017 prompted a recovery in hydro generation, which increased by 28%. This uplift in renewables squeezed out supply from coal and gas (both down 9%) in every market except the UK. Although the UK's renewable share reached an all-time high, nuclear outages – such as that at Hunterston B – highlighted the market’s reliance on gas (+1%) and imports (+29%),” commented Peter Osbaldstone, Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables Research Director.
The report also highlighted increased plant availability in France, which boosted nuclear generation by 3.5% - accounting for 72% of power supply. Compounded with the strong performance of renewables, this increased power exports by 53% and in May, French exports reached 8.1 TWh - a record for a single month.
“Coal fired power supply in Germany fell in 2018, as higher volumes of wind and solar continued to constrain market space for fossil fuel. While production from low-cost, indigenously produced lignite remained almost flat, generation from hard coal dropped to a new low in the market. Coal's overall share of power supply in Germany has fallen from 42% to 35% in the past 3 years,” said Matthew Campbell, Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables Data Associate.
