Wind and solar generated 30% of the EU’s electricity needs in 2025, overtaking fossil fuels for the first time on record, says Ember in a new report
Solar was the main driver, growing by 20.1% year-over-year and reaching a 13% share of total EU electricity generation
Wind accounted for 17% of electricity generation, while gas use rose due to lower hydro output, increasing the EU’s gas import bill and wholesale power prices
Battery storage is emerging as a key solution, with over 10 GW added in 2025 and more than 40 GW potentially in the pipeline to help reduce price spikes
Wind and solar electricity generation covered 30% of the European Union’s (EU) electricity in 2025, overtaking fossil-fuel generated power (29%) for the 1st time, says Ember. Both these renewable energy technologies grew their share from 20% 5 years ago, according to Ember’s European Electricity Review 2026.
It was mainly thanks to the surge in solar energy, which grew by 62 TWh of 20.1% year-on-year (YoY). Solar generation in 2025 increased by over 20% annually for the 4th consecutive year, accounting for 13% (11.1% in 2024) of the bloc’s total electricity, ahead of any other electricity generation source.
The growth in solar generation is due to solar installation expansion that reached 65.1 GW in 2025 (see EU Solar Growth Slows With First Annual Dip Since 2016).
“Solar grew in every EU country and accounted for more than a fifth of electricity in Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands,” reads the report. In Germany, solar overtook gas, while solar’s share exceeded 20% in Cyprus, Spain, and Hungary. In June 2025, it became the EU’s largest power source for the first time ever (see Solar Becomes EU’s Top Power Source For First Time, In June 2025).
Wind, with its 17% individual share, was the 2nd largest EU electricity generation source in 2025, after gas, whose generation increased by 8% YoY due to reduced hydro output. The EU’s gas import bill rose by 16% to €32 billion last year, leading to a spike in wholesale electricity prices.
Together, wind and solar generated more power than fossil fuels in 14 out of 27 EU member states, according to the report. Renewables also provided nearly half of the bloc’s electricity in 2025 at 47%.
The weather during early 2025 was sunnier and saw the share of hydropower decline by 12% and wind 2%, which is when solar energy stepped up. Thus, as Ember points out, solar managed to balance the drop in wind generation thanks to exceptionally sunny weather conditions in Northern Europe that boosted electricity consumption for air conditioning.
Wholesale electricity prices went up in most EU countries in 2025 compared to 2024. The increase was the biggest in Austria and the smallest in Greece. Prices rose mainly because of sharp price jumps in the morning and evening, when demand is high and more expensive gas-fired power plants are needed to supply electricity, explains Ember.
This is where batteries can play a significant role in helping drive down price spikes. Last year, large-scale battery deployment exceeded 10 GW, up from 4 GW in 2023. Ember believes that if all battery storage projects in the pipeline in the EU move forward, these can bring online more than 40 GW of capacity.
Senior Energy Analyst at Ember, Dr. Beatrice Petrovich says, “By investing across the power system to harness the potential of batteries, grids and electrified tech, the EU can make use of homegrown renewable power to stabilise prices and insure against energy blackmail.”
The complete Ember report is available for free download on its website.