Power Statistics - 2010 Edition - Full Report - Eurelectric

Generation Trends
Installed capacity vs. electricity generation:
independent trends
Figure 9 clearly reveals the importance of the capacity factor
of generating capacities. Different generation sources have
different capacity factors, which are influenced by the type of
resource used, the technology, etc. 3 Therefore, the shares of
installed capacity for different technologies do not necessarily
translate into the same shares in electricity production.
Thus, although nuclear represented roughly one sixth of total
generating capacity in 2008, its actual share of electricity production
Figure 9: Installed capacity vs. electricity generation
Installed Capacity in 2008
Other Renewables
11%
Hydro
17%
A new, less carbon-intensive mix emerges
Figures 9 and 10 give an overview of the development of
electricity generation in the EU-27 between 1980 and 2008, as
well as indications of future expected production. While nuclear
production has stabilised in the last decade, fossil-fuel fired and
RES generation have increased their respective shares in 2008.
Thus, between 2000 and 2008, conventional thermal production
increased by just 13 % to 1,729 TWh, while RES generation –
mainly driven by wind – experienced a real boom, increasing by
240 % to reach 226 TWh. Carbon-free electricity thus accounted
for roughly 46 % of total generation in 2008.
Figure 10: Evolution of electricity production in the EU-27
Electricity Production 2020 (TWh)
Other Res
17%
Hydro
10%
Not Specified
0%
Nuclear
16%
Fossil Fuel Fired
56%
Not Specified
1%
Nuclear
26%
Conventional Thermal
46%
was almost one third, since nuclear power plants are commonly
run in base-load mode. By contrast, hydro capacities in the EU-27,
which represented a similar share of generating capacity, yielded
lower values of electricity production due to the several different
running modes of hydro power plants. The low capacity factor of
wind and solar (grouped under ‘other renewables’ in Figure 9)
translated into relatively low electricity generation figures compared
to installed capacity. However, this discrepancy does not apply to
biomass plants, which tend to run in base-load or mid-merit mode.
Electricity Generation in 2008
Other Renewables
7%
According to the assumptions of EURELECTRIC members (Figure
10), low-carbon generation sources such as RES, hydro and
nuclear will constitute the major generation source by 2020,
delivering more than 2,000 TWh, compared to 1,692 TWh from
fossil fuels (53 % vs. 46 %). Low-carbon generation sources
will continue to dominate the generation mix thereafter, thanks
to a major increase of RES in electricity generation, as well as
an increase in nuclear production. The data for 2030 show
low-carbon electricity generation reaching some 60 % of total
electricity production.
3 The capacity factor of a power plant is the ratio of the actual electricity produced in a given period to the hypothetical maximum possible,
i.e. its output if it had continuously operated at full nameplate capacity.
Hydro
11%
Electricity Production 2030 (TWh)
Other Res
22%
Hydro
9%
Not Specified
1%
Nuclear
28%
Fossil Fuel Fired
53%
Not Specified
0%
Nuclear
29%
Conventional Thermal
40%
Power Statistics – 2010 Edition 17