Will the Ukraine War and the Energy Crisis Have a Positive Effect on Renewable Energy?

When Russia invaded Ukraine early in 2022, it sparked not only war between the two nations but also turmoil across the globe.

To punish Russia for the invasion, many Western states, including Germany, the U.K., and Europe imposed economic sanctions. This led Russia, Europe’s largest energy supplier, to cut the main supply of gas to many European nations, sending Europe into a massive energy crisis. Russia’s goal was to pressure Europe to lift the economic measures imposed on them.

With its main supply of energy out of the picture, Europe put the pedal to the metal on renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

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Here, we’ll explore how the energy crisis, in particular, has impacted the growth of renewable energy and what the future of energy might look like.

The Push Towards Renewable Energy

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, renewable energy production in Europe has reached record levels. The electricity that was generated by wind and solar increased by 13 percent from March to September.

There’s no doubt that the uncertainty over Russian oil sources, including oil, natural gas, and coal, accelerated efforts to produce renewable energy on the home front. According to the International Energy Agency, “the European Union compensates for the loss of Russian imports with an accelerated transition away from natural gas through a surge in renewable capacity additions and a push to retrofit buildings and install heat pumps.”

However, experts aren’t so confident that the surge will continue. With a European recession pending, there may not be enough money to support new renewable energy projects, as government funding is diverted elsewhere and private funding dries up.

Still, others remain optimistic, saying that the crisis has changed energy markets and policies in the direction of cleaner sources of energy for decades to come.

What about nuclear power?

Nuclear power is a clean energy source. However, many nations have given up nuclear fuel due to the risks it poses. But the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing energy crisis it created have sparked some nations to return to the source.

Take Japan, for instance. In August, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that it would reopen closed nuclear plants and begin constructing new ones. Germany also plans to halt its phase-out of nuclear power in favor of keeping its remaining three power plants open.

Given that nuclear power plants can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing dependency on coal or natural gas, nuclear energy might gain even more steam. However, it’s still unclear whether it will have a total resurgence or simply be a bridge for essential energy during a time of crisis.