According to the More renewables, Less inflation study by E3G and Ember, 2022 was an exceptional year for renewables in Europe, particularly for wind and solar power, which provided critical support to the European electricity system during a period of severe difficulties.
In fact, there was a strong increase in renewable installations in Europe: wind installations grew by 33 per cent compared to the previous year, and solar growth was even more significant, with an annual increase of 47 per cent compared to 2021.
Germany at the top
According to the report, Germany still leads installations with an increase of almost 8 GW of PV capacity in 2022. Spain follows with 7.5 GW, Poland with 4.9 GW, the Netherlands with 4 GW and France with 2.7 GW. Italy, on the other hand, continues to move slowly in the renewables sector, especially in wind power, which did not even install half a GW of new capacity last year.
The situation in Italy
Wind energy production in Italy increased by only 456 megawatts in 2022, bringing total capacity to 11.7 GW. Solar, on the other hand, grew more significantly, by 2.6 GW, exceeding 1 GW of annual production for the first time since 2014.
Italy has potential to grow further in the renewables sector, especially in solar, but measures need to be introduced to simplify authorisation procedures and facilitate investment, so as to reach European targets and become a leader in clean energy sources.
An historic record
This is, in any case, a historic record for the energy transition: in 2022 wind and solar power generated 22% of the EU’s electricity, surpassing for the first time gas, which stands at 20%. Europe is indeed on track to turn the energy tide.
Sources: ember-climate.org