2020 EUROPE’s first-time renewable sources of energy generate more electricity than fossil fuels

As the world is slowly recovering from the Coronavirus outbreak we can take a look at the ever-growing renewable energy industry and what it has to offer.

In 2020 as the world at large came to a stillstand we witnessed the positive growth of more environmentally friendly energy sources. This trend will most likely continue to grow in 2021 as many countries around the globe including China and the US committed to reducing their carbon footprint by 2060. With the US coming to its peak in using natural gas, we can expect a swift shift towards more sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy. 

Major businesses and corporations are embracing renewables to run companies, some of these companies include Intel, Apple, and even America’s largest retailer Walmart have all switched to using green energy which not only helps them lower their energy costs, it also helps out the environment.  

However, it is not only countries like the US which experienced a boom in renewables, about 40% of electricity produced in the European Union in the first half of 2020 came from renewable energy sources with Spain leading the way as the European solar powerhouse. 2020 was the first year in which renewable sourcess generated more electricity than fossil fuels across Europe. 

We can also observe an increase in residential solar power plant installations. More and more homeowners are deciding to switch to solar energy which helps them to lead a more self-sustained household, it lowers their overall energy costs, and is beneficial for the environment. Solar power plants are also becoming more affordable.

Furthermore, electric car sales reached over 3,2 million in 2020 alone. Cities around the world are adapting to this new growing trend by providing public charging stations. Major car companies are joining in on the trend and are producing more models for their customers ranging from modestly-priced cars to luxury brands such as Porsche. Developers are constantly improving car models and battery life so now even lower-priced car models can run up to 400 km of driving on a single charge. 

At SunContract, we are also committed to contributing toward a green energy future. So we gladly assist you, with the help of our partners, in setting up your own solar power plant; we guide you through the administrative process and installation. Once you are all set up you can join the SunContract marketplace, where you can reuse your surplus energy from the previous calendar year in the next year or share it with your loved ones. This is something that has never been done before and we are happy to contribute towards a fair, transparent energy distribution paradigm. As we also adapt to market trends, you will also find among our sustainable products a wide range of electric chargers for business as well as domestic use. You can easily place an order for a solar power plant and an electric charger via our platform. Not registered yet? You can register for free here.

Overall we can conclude that 2020 was a fruitful year for the renewable energy industry despite the pandemic we had to face. We saw a rise in electricity production which was fuelled by renewables, homeowners who decided to lead a more self-sustained household, and car companies producing and selling more electric cars than ever before. In the years to come, we can expect a steady growth of these trends. 

Sources:

(Dave Turk, George Kamiya, IEA, 2020): https://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2020

(David Vette, Forbes, 2021): https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidrvetter/2021/01/25/its-official-in-2020-renewable-energy-beat-fossil-fuels-across-europe/?sh=3fc73bf760e8

(The Climate Reality Project, 2016): https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/5-major-businesses-powered-renewable-energy