Clean and fair energy

Access to low-cost, dependable, clean energy is crucial. It forms the foundation of fair and safe societies. To make this a reality for all, we need to stop burning all fossil fuels. Instead, we should replace them with renewable energy sources like solar and wind. This requires combining them with technologies that maximise the efficiency of our buildings, appliances, and motors. Rapid and deep electrification is necessary for heating, industry, and transport. An abundance of electricity storage options and the deployment of smart technologies to match availability with demand are essential. The result will be permanently affordable, secure, clean energy. Additionally, we will benefit from the restoration and protection of nature, along with the prevention of some of the worst effects of climate change.

2025 2030 2035

2025: removing a third of fossil gas and hard coal demand

With the fossil gas price volatility, exacerbated since the invasion of Ukraine, most European countries understood how dangerous and costly their reliance on fossil fuels is. Countries have since been racing to eliminate Russian fossil fuels from their energy systems. But replacing these with other sources of fossil fuels won’t bring down people’s bills, ensure energy security or protect the climate.
To meet these three critical challenges, Europe's only choice is to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels with a combination of renewable energy generation and energy savings. By 2025, Europe could remove a third of its fossil gas and hard coal demands, which is an equivalent amount of what countries were imported from Russia before the war. This will put us on track to be coal-free by 2030, and fossil fuel-free, renewable-based electricity generation by 2035.

2030: Europe Beyond Coal

Europe remains on track to close all 328 of its coal-fired power plants by 2030 – the latest date that is compatible with the UN Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. But it’s not enough to only stop burning coal – we have to fundamentally stop burning fossil fuels altogether.
That means swapping all polluting sources of energy, including gas and dirty biomass for renewable energy sources and efficiency savings.

2035: Fossil fuel-free electricity based on renewable energy

Europe currently burns fossil gas and coal to produce respectively 20 and 10 percent of its electricity. This has proven a big mistake as volatile, skyrocketing fossil gas prices have driven up the cost of living and coal and gas have a detrimental impact on the environment and health. The solution is to replace all of this fossil gas and coal with renewable electricity generation by 2035.
This is not only very doable by rolling out huge amounts of solar and wind, and ensuring an efficient way of using energy, but will be totally worth it as in return our energy bills will fall, and we’ll be healthier and safer.