Key takeaways from the report “European Electricity Review 2026” published by EMBER are:
-Wind and solar reached 30% of EU electricity, higher than fossil power (29%) for the first time on record, and up from 20% just five years prior. By 2025 wind and solar generated more power than all fossil sources in 14 of the 27 EU countries.
-Solar generated more EU power than ever before in 2025 (369 TWh), growing by more than 20% for the fourth year running to 13% of EU electricity, higher than coal and hydro. Solar grew in every EU country and accounted for more than a fifth of electricity in Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands.
-Early 2025 was less windy and rainy but sunnier than early 2024. The same weather conditions that caused an annual drop in hydro (-12%) and wind (-2%) boosted solar generation, with renewables providing nearly half of EU power (48%). Wind remained the second largest EU electricity source at 17% of EU power, above gas.
-Gas generation rose by 8% compared to 2024, largely due to reduced hydro output. This pushed the EU power sector’s gas import bill up to €32 billion — 16% higher than the previous year. Price spikes during peak gas-use hours drove the annual increase in wholesale electricity prices across 21 EU countries in 2025.
-Coal power fell to a new historic low of 9.2%. In 19 EU countries, coal power is at less than 5%. Over the past decade the reduction in coal was not matched by an equal increase in gas or other fossil fuels.
-Battery deployment accelerated significantly in 2025, with grid-scale projects announced across the EU. With this acceleration, batteries’ role in meeting evening demand could rapidly grow, reducing reliance on fossil generators and lowering wholesale prices when electricity is in high demand.
Access the report here