ＥＵの太陽光発電量、初めて石炭発電上回る 報告書

【パリＡＦＰ＝時事】欧州連合（ＥＵ）は２０２４年、太陽光発電が石炭による発電量を上回り、域内で再生可能エネルギーが占める割合は４７％に上った。気候・エネルギー専門シンクタンク「エンバー」が２３日、２０２５年版報告書「欧州電力レビュー」で発表した。（写真はドイツ西部に設置されている太陽光発電設備）
　一方、天然ガスの発電量は５年連続で減少。化石燃料による発電量は「歴史的な低水準」に落ち込んだ。
　同報告書は「太陽光発電は２０２４年もＥＵの電力源として急成長を続け、石炭発電を初めて上回った。また、風力発電も天然ガスを上回り、原子力に次ぐＥＵの第２の電力源（の地位）を維持した」と指摘している。
　全体として、太陽光発電と風力発電の急成長により、再生可能エネルギーの割合は２０１９年の３４％から４７％に増加。一方、化石燃料発電は３９％から２９％に減少した。
　エンバーによると、再生可能エネルギーの拡大傾向は欧州全体で広がっており、特に太陽光発電の比率はすべてのＥＵ加盟国で増大しつつある。
　同報告書は「２０１９年以降に風力および太陽光の発電容量を拡大していなければ、ＥＵは天然ガスと石炭をそれぞれ９２０億立方メートル、５５００万トン多く輸入する必要に迫られ、５９０億ユーロ（約９兆６０００億円）の費用がかかっていただろう」と指摘している。
　一方で報告書の主執筆者クリス・ロスロー氏は、課題はまだ山積しているとし、「特に風力発電部門での取り組みを強化する必要がある」と述べる。
　また、再生可能エネルギーを最大限に活用するために欧州の電力システムの貯蔵容量を増強する必要があることも指摘した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/01/23-19:26）

Solar overtook coal in the European Union's electricity production in 2024, with the share of renewables rising to almost half the bloc's power sector, according to a report released Thursday.
Gas generation, meanwhile, declined for the fifth year in a row and fossil-fuelled power dipped to a historic low, climate think tank Ember said in its European Electricity Review 2025.
The European Green Deal has delivered a deep and rapid transformation of the EU power sector, the think tank said.
Solar remained the EU's fastest-growing power source in 2024, rising above coal for the first time. Wind power remained the EU's second-largest power source, above gas and below nuclear.
Overall, strong growth in solar and wind have boosted the share of renewables to 47 percent, up from 34 percent in 2019.
Fossil fuels have fallen from 39 to 29 percent.
A surge in wind and solar generation is the main reason for declining fossil generation. Without wind and solar capacity added since 2019, the EU would have imported 92 billion cubic metres more of fossil gas and 55 million tonnes more of hard coal, costing ?59 billion, the report said.
According to Ember, these trends are widespread across Europe, with solar power progressing in all EU countries.
More than half have now either eliminated coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, or reduced its share to less than five percent of their energy mix.
Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy, said Chris Rosslowe, lead author of the report.
At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU's energy transition would be where it is today: wind and solar are relegating coal to the margins and pushing gas into decline.
- Battery storage -
But Rosslowe cautioned much work remains.
We need to accelerate our efforts, particularly in the wind power sector, he said.
Europe's electricity system will also need to increase its storage capacity to make the most of renewable energies, which are by definition intermittent, he added.
In 2024, plentiful solar energy helped drive down prices in the middle of the day, sometimes even resulting in negative or zero price hours due to an overabundance of supply compared to demand.
A readily available solution is a battery co-located with a solar plant. This gives solar power producers more control over the prices they receive and helps them avoid selling for low prices in the middle of the day, the report said.
The think tank suggested consumers could reduce their bills by shifting usage to periods of abundance (smart electrification), while battery operators could earn revenue from buying power when prices are low and selling it back when demand peaks.
Batteries have advanced significantly in recent years, with installed capacity across the EU doubling to 16 GW in 2023, compared with 8 GW in 2022, according to Ember.
But this capacity is concentrated in just a small number of countries: 70 percent of existing batteries were located in Germany and Italy at the end of 2023.
More storage and demand flexibility is needed to sustain growth and for consumers to reap the full benefits of abundant solar, Ember said.
After a challenging few years for the wind power sector, additions are set to grow, but not by enough to hit EU targets. Closing this gap will require continued policy implementation and political support, such that the rate of additions between now and 2030 is more than double that of recent years.