As per World Economic Forum, data from Electricity Maps can be used to break down energy sources in all European countries in 2021 and is able to identify which are being able to meet their needs with clean resources, as opposed to going dirty.

Back in that year, Cyprus was the only country on the continent that used oil for power generation, while Germany, Poland and Bulgaria were among those that relied on coal to make energy.

Romania, for example, is among the countries that relies mostly on hydro power for electricity supplies, which means that it has fewer emissions coming from this sector, compared to other states.

The map shows that "a decade ago, more than a quarter of Europe's electricity was produced using coal. Since then, solar and wind generation have doubled to replace declining coal use."

On a continental level, nuclear power had the highest share in power generation in 2011, with 29% and while supply coming from this source declined up to 2021, to a total of just 25%, it still represents the most used power source in Europe.

Significant improvements have been made regarding reducing the use of coal, which in 2011 had a 25% share in power generation, but in 2021, it was making just 14% of our total power.

Hydro, wind and solar power have all increased their share in energy production since 2011, starting at 10, 6 and 2% respectively, but in 2021 these sources climbed to 13, 13 and 6%.

Photo source: World Economic Forum

In fact, wind and solar sources have been the biggest contributors to the green transition on the continent, as they went from producing just 8% back in 2011 to 19% in 2021 and the situation constantly improves.

Hydropower, the most common power source

Hydropower is the most common single green power generation source in Europe, although again, the largest share is still being taken by nuclear. The decommissioning of nuclear power plants has been visible, though, as in 2001, it had a share of 33% on the market, while in 2021 it dropped to 25%.

France is recognized as being the European country with the most nuclear power plants and over half of the country's energy demand is being covered by nuclear power.

Italy, the UK and Netherlands are three of the countries that rely the most on natural gas, with a share of 42%, 38% and 40% respectively.

Spain has invested heavily in wind power in recent years, which is why the country was able to heavily rely on wind turbines in 2022 for energy generation, as they made up 32% of the country's demand.

Also last year, for the first time ever, solar and wind power had a higher share in EU's energy production compared to gas, as these two green resources produced 22% of the bloc's total power.

This means that fossil fuels are constantly losing ground in favor of clean energy sources, which are being implemented more and more on the continent.