It was also a record summer for solar energy in Europe

From May to August 2022, the EU produced 12% of its electricity from solar.A record that avoided the importation of 20 billion cubic meters of gas.

• From May to August 2022, Europe saw a peak in solar energy production.
• Thanks to the sun, we have avoided 20 billion cubic meters of gas, worth 29 billion euros.

THE'European Union recorded one record amount of electricity produced by solar energy in the period from May to August 2022.A quantity that has prevented our continent from an even greater crisis than today's due to the prices of fossil fuels, in particular from gas, which is causing the worst energy and social crisis since the 1970s.

The European Union saved 29 billion euros in imported gas

Solar panels satisfied approx 12 percent of the requirement continental, an amount of energy that would have cost 29 billion euros (around 20 billion cubic meters of gas) if it had been produced by natural gas plants, according to the analysis of the climate think tank Ember.

The figures underline the crucial role that the sources of renewable energy play an active role in Europe's transition towards reduction of dependence from imported and polluting gas and oil.Furthermore, according to a reports from the University of Oxford, the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy could save the world over 12,000 billion euros by 2050.There energy transition, In short, it is also good for your wallet, as well as the environment.

Poland's leap towards solar

The greatest increase was seen in Poland, a country that has always been known for its enormous use of coal.Electricity production from solar energy in Poland is grew 26 times compared to the previous year thanks to incentives for the installation of panels on the roofs of houses and buildings.Followed by Finland and Hungary, which both multiplied their production from photovoltaic panels five times.

In percentage terms, i Netherlands lead, for the second consecutive year and despite the modest irradiation, the European ranking as largest producer of solar energy, reaching the share of 22.7 percent of its energy mix, well above the 18 percent of 2021.Followed by Germany (19.3 percent) and Spain (16.7 percent).THE'Italy is fifth (15 percent) behind Greece (15.3 percent).

“Investments in solar capacity have paid off,” said Pawel Czyzak, an analyst at Ember.“Every terawatt hour of solar electricity contributed to reduce our gas consumption, saving billions for European citizens.It's clear that we need as much solar energy as possible."

Solar production reached 99.4 terawatt hours in the summer months, 28 percent more than the previous year.Meanwhile, new solar parks are under construction across Europe at a pace that - as Ember's analysis notes - will be able to break a record for every summer between now and 2030, the year by which the EU intends to reduce its emissions by 45 percent of CO2.

Now wind energy must also grow

Ember notes that the summer of 2022 was characterized by an increase in demand, due to the heat waves and the growing demand for building cooling.At the same time, most of France's nuclear reactors have been shut down for maintenance, depriving Europe's energy grid of a large source of electricity.

The relentless heat and drought have also dried up waterways needed for hydroelectric power generation, another important alternative to fossil energy.These are the many reasons behind the increase in solar energy, which has proven to being able to handle the comparison – if there was still a need – with other conventional energy sources.

In a few months it will be winter and it is to be expected that solar energy production will be less generous than now.But for this there are other renewable sources, such aswind energy which last year was greater than solar and which guaranteed 11.7 percent of European energy needs during the summer peak.