For the second consecutive year renewables produced more power than fossil fuels in the first and second quarters of 2019, according to analyst outfit EnAppSys.
The new report on the European power market calculated that renewables capacity generated 245.8 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity in the three months to 30 June, 21.3% more than the combined 202.7 TWh produced from gas, coal lignite, oil and peat during the same period.
This repeats the pattern seen in 2018, which saw renewables produce 288.4 TWh and 252.8 TWh in the first and second quarters respectively, while fossil fuels generated 258.9 TWh in Q1 and 224.8 TWh in Q2 last year.
Coal and lignite have lost 33% market share since 2015, though they have been largely replaced by gas. Gas generation does offer a benefit in terms of carbon emissions; however, a large-scale deployment would likely fail to support any serious climate change mitigation ambitions.
Harreman added: “Coal and lignite plants continued to produce a high share of total generation in the second quarter, which is only 22% down on Q2 2016 levels.
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