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Europe’s Renewables Are Crowding Out Gas as Coal Phase-Out Slows

  • Over half of new renewables since 2019 replaced gas: Ember
  • Renewables help reduce gas dependence that’s cost Europe
A wind farm in Nauen Brandenburg, Germany.

A wind farm in Nauen Brandenburg, Germany.

Photographer: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz/Bloomberg

The European Union’s renewable energy sources are helping reduce its dependence on natural gas that’s still costing the region dearly.

Renewables growth has helped reduce the EU’s dependence on gas, which has soared in price since the middle of last year as the region grapples with a supply crisis that’s dealt blows to industries as well as ordinary consumers’ pockets. More than half of new renewable generation since 2019 has replaced gas power, according to a study by London-based climate think tank Ember, with the rest replacing mainly nuclear and coal sources.