Fossil fuels have surpassed renewables to become the European Union’s largest source of power generation as use of natural gas reached its highest point in a decade, the bloc’s statistics office said on Thursday.

While Eurostat says renewables topped the list in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, the economic recovery saw the region’s electricity supply increase by 4% in 2021, with coal, oil and gas.

Fossil Fuels Surpass Renewables as EU’s Top Power Source | Devamı>>>

Germany’s economy and climate ministry on Wednesday presented a package of measures to speed up the expansion of onshore wind power generation as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

Germany aims to fulfil 80% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030, with a goal of increasing the capacity of onshore wind power to 115 gigawatts (GW) – equivalent to the capacity of 38 nuclear plants.

But only around 0.8% of land in Germany is currently designated for onshore wind power, with 0.5% actually being used.

Germany Introduces Bill to Accelerate Wind Power Expansion | Devamı>>>

The European Commission plans to unveil a 195 billion euro plan to stop importing Russian fossil fuels by 2027, combining a faster rollout of renewable energy and energy savings with a switch to alternative gas supplies, draft documents show.

The draft measures, which could change before they are due to be published next week, include a mix of EU laws, non-binding schemes, and recommendations national governments could take up, including by revising their plans to spend the EU’s huge COVID-19 recovery fund to free up more funding for the energy transition.

EU Readies 195 Billion Euro Plan to Quit Russian Fossil Fuels | Devamı>>>