According to Euronews.green, experts at the clean energy think tank Ember say that "Europe has avoided the worst of the energy crisis."

Gas and coal were still quite heavily used to produce energy, 20% and 16% respectively, but the fact that renewables surpassed them is a good sign.

Unfortunately, hydro power plants and nuclear plants suffered due to the heavy droughts that happened during 2022's torrid summer.

This hit some countries harder than others, especially France, which was known as an energy export power in Europe, but due to its reliance on nuclear power and the scorching hot summer months, it had to import energy this time around to stay afloat.

Solar power in the EU grew by the most last year, by 24% to be specific, which helped reduce the reliance on gas and coal.

The Netherlands was the leader in terms of electricity generated with the help of the sun, as it was able to produce 14% of its necessary with solar panels.

Greece, Hungary and Cyprus are among the other five solar powers on the continent.

Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, said that "these new numbers show that rapid solar growth is truly the foundation of the energy transition."

While 2023 has just begun, researchers believe that this year might be even greener than the last, as fossil-generated power could go down 20% this year.