2025 at a glance

In 2025, the European Union's power sector reached a tipping point as wind and solar generation surpassed fossil fuels for the first time, accounting for 30.1% of electricity. While solar generation hit record highs and coal reached a historic low, gas power saw a slight increase, though it remained below pre-crisis levels.

• For the first time in 2025, wind and solar generated more electricity in the EU than all fossil fuel sources combined. Wind and solar accounted for 30.1% (841 TWh) of EU electricity, while fossil sources generated 29.0% (809 TWh). This trend has accelerated over five years, with the wind and solar share rising from 19.7% in 2020 to 30.1% in 2025, while fossil power fell from 36.7% to 29.0% in the same period.
• Solar generation reached a record 369 TWh in 2025, representing a 20.1% increase (62 TWh) over 2024. This growth was driven by a capacity increase of 65.1 GW, split nearly equally between rooftop installations and utility-scale farms. Solar's share of EU annual electricity generation exceeded 13%, with Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, and the Netherlands all recording shares above 20%.
• Renewables provided 47.7% (1331 TWh) of EU electricity in 2025, a level stable compared to 2024's 47.9%. This stability occurred despite unusual weather in the first quarter of 2025, where warm North Atlantic temperatures led to a 23% drop in average wind speeds and 33% lower rainfall in Northern Europe. The resulting decline in wind and hydro output was offset by exceptionally sunny conditions in Northern Europe, which boosted solar output in Belgium (+26%), the Netherlands (+21%), Germany (+15%), and France (+10%).
• Gas power generation increased by 8% (+34 TWh) in 2025 to reach a level that was still 18% lower than its pre-energy crisis peak of 569 TWh in 2019. The increase was concentrated in Spain, Italy, and Germany, which together accounted for 60% of the growth. The EU spent €32 billion on fossil gas imports for power in 2025, a 16% increase from 2024, with Germany and Italy as the highest payers.
• Coal generation hit a new historic low of 257 TWh, representing 9.2% of EU power. This is a significant drop from 24.6% (705 TWh) ten years prior. Coal use is now highly concentrated in Germany (103 TWh) and Poland (87 TWh), which together make up over 74% of EU coal generation. Ireland stopped burning coal in June 2025, and Finland effectively phased it out in April 2025.

APA

Ember (2026). 2025 at a glance. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2025-at-a-glance/

Chicago

Ember. 2025 at a glance. 2026. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2025-at-a-glance/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=2025 at a glance |date=22 January 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2025-at-a-glance/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember20262025, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{2025 at a glance}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = jan, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/2025-at-a-glance/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }