The EU generated 22% of its electricity from wind and solar farms last year.   The bloc's wind and solar power surpassed the energy generated from natural gas for the first time ever. Independent energy think tank Ember released a new report showing that the EU produced 22% of its electricity from wind and solar energy in 2022, surpassing the 20% generated from natural gas.  The EU used 1.5% more coal to generate energy in 2022 but coal use dropped toward the end of the year. Dry weather caused the proportion of energy generated from hydropower to fall to its lowest level in 20 years, while nuclear energy generation fell by a similar amount as reactors were taken offline. Solar power saw a 24% surge as 20 EU nations hit new solar generation records. Electricity demand fell by 7.9% across the bloc in the last quarter of 2022. The EU faced an energy crisis in 2022 that "undoubtedly sped up Europe’s electricity transition,” said Dave Jones, Ember’s head of data insights.