Half of electricity is produced from renewable sources

Jaar | Fossil (billion kWh) | Wind (billion kWh) | Solar (billion kWh) | Biomass (billion kWh) | Water (billion kWh) | Nuclear + other (billion kWh) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 87.48 | 7.55 | 1.11 | 4.34 | 0.09 | 5.19 |
2016 | 91.88 | 8.17 | 1.60 | 4.30 | 0.10 | 5.01 |
2017 | 91.91 | 10.57 | 2.20 | 3.99 | 0.06 | 4.72 |
2018 | 88.75 | 10.55 | 3.71 | 3.91 | 0.07 | 3.85 |
2019 | 91.62 | 11.51 | 5.40 | 5.07 | 0.07 | 4.19 |
2020 | 83.73 | 15.28 | 8.57 | 7.89 | 0.05 | 4.33 |
2021 | 74.94 | 17.68 | 11.30 | 9.82 | 0.09 | 4.09 |
2022 | 66.29 | 21.07 | 16.66 | 8.73 | 0.05 | 4.48 |
2023 | 57.93 | 28.93 | 19.58 | 6.75 | 0.07 | 4.29 |
2024 | 55.40 | 32.70 | 21.65 | 6.37 | 0.09 | 3.95 |
Even though it was not as sunny as in previous years, electricity generated from solar energy was up by 11 percent to 22 billion kWh in 2024. This is due to an increase in installed capacity, which rose by 14 percent to 24 GW. By the middle of the year, 42 percent of the installed capacity of solar panels was on the roofs of homes or near them, and the rest on roofs of or near commercial properties.
In 2024, electricity production from solar energy peaked from May to August, accounting for nearly one-third of total electricity produced in that period.
Periode | Fossil (% of production) | Nuclear + other (% of production) | Wind (% of production) | Solar (% of production) | Biomass (% of production) | Water (% of production) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | 6.160 | 0.410 | 3.850 | 0.470 | 0.580 | 0.010 |
February | 4.700 | 0.380 | 3.790 | 0.600 | 0.670 | 0.010 |
March | 4.960 | 0.410 | 2.890 | 1.510 | 0.750 | 0.010 |
April | 3.550 | 0.100 | 3.440 | 2.320 | 0.370 | 0.010 |
May | 3.710 | 0.040 | 1.660 | 3.110 | 0.430 | 0.010 |
June | 3.440 | 0.210 | 1.760 | 3.270 | 0.270 | 0.010 |
July | 3.500 | 0.400 | 1.900 | 3.280 | 0.320 | 0.010 |
August | 3.920 | 0.400 | 1.860 | 3.060 | 0.390 | 0.000 |
September | 4.020 | 0.380 | 2.420 | 2.050 | 0.340 | 0.000 |
October | 4.910 | 0.410 | 2.380 | 1.220 | 0.610 | 0.010 |
November | 6.860 | 0.400 | 2.690 | 0.500 | 0.850 | 0.000 |
December | 5.670 | 0.410 | 4.070 | 0.260 | 0.810 | 0.010 |
Electricity generated from wind rose by 13 percent
In 2024, electricity generated from wind was up by 13 percent on 2023, reaching 33 billion Kwh. Electricity produced by onshore wind farms remained at the same level. Offshore wind farm production rose by 32 percent to 15 billion kWh. The capacity of onshore wind farms increased slightly, while offshore it rose by 19 percent to 4.7 GW.Electricity production from wind typically peaks in the winter period from December to February. Over a third of all electricity produced during the winter of 2024 came from wind energy.
Electricity generated from biomass fell by 6 percent, which was mainly due to lower production levels at power stations that co-fire with biomass.
Production from coal sources and natural gas continues to fall
In 2024, electricity generated from coal sources was down by 5 percent from the previous year. Electricity produced from natural gas fell by 4 percent. The main reason for this was the increase in the supply of cheaper electricity generated from solar and wind power. Overall, electricity production from fossil sources fell by 2.5 billion kWh in 2024.Jaar | Natural gas (billion kWh) | Coal (billion kWh) | Petroleum products (billion kWh) | Other, non-renewable resources (billion kWh) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 44.57 | 40.20 | 1.28 | 1.44 |
2016 | 51.42 | 37.76 | 1.22 | 1.48 |
2017 | 56.60 | 32.74 | 1.14 | 1.44 |
2018 | 56.46 | 29.32 | 1.29 | 1.68 |
2019 | 69.41 | 19.25 | 1.39 | 1.58 |
2020 | 71.20 | 9.60 | 1.32 | 1.62 |
2021 | 55.52 | 16.50 | 1.31 | 1.62 |
2022 | 46.67 | 16.48 | 1.55 | 1.58 |
2023 | 44.84 | 10.15 | 1.49 | 1.45 |
2024 | 42.94 | 9.61 | 1.33 | 1.53 |
Electricity imports rise and exports fall in 2024
Electricity imports were up by 2 percent to 20 billion kWh in 2024. In particular, imports from Germany (up by 9 percent) and Norway (up by 19 percent) increased while imports from Belgium and Denmark decreased.
Exports of electricity exceeded imports in 2024, just as in the previous two years. Exports declined by 1.0 billion kWh to 24 billion kWh. Exports to Germany (down by 12 percent) and the United Kingdom (down by 24 percent) fell, in particular. Germany was able to import electricity at a lower price, due to increased production by French nuclear power plants. Exports to Belgium actually increased by 17 percent, due in part to lower electricity production at Belgium's gas-fired power plants.
Categorie | 2024 (billion kWh) | 2023 (billion kWh) |
---|---|---|
Imports from Germany | 8.85 | 8.12 |
Exports fo Germany | 8.79 | 10.03 |
Imports from Belgium | 3.81 | 4.40 |
Exports to Belgium | 9.84 | 8.41 |
Imports from Norway | 3.49 | 2.92 |
Exports to Norway | 0.59 | 0.67 |
Imports from Denmark | 2.26 | 2.55 |
Exports to Denmark | 1.72 | 1.74 |
Imports from the UK | 1.62 | 1.56 |
Exports to the UK | 3.30 | 4.36 |
Sources
- StatLine - Electricity balance sheet; supply and consumption
- StatLine - Renewable electricity; production and capacity
- StatLine - Energy balance sheet; supply, transformation and consumption
- Statline - Average energy prices for consumers
Related items
- News release - Power from solar panels increased slightly in 2023
- Windunie Website - Windex December 2024
- Online magazine - Solar Magazine
- Website - Solar Energy International