European Electricity Review

The European Electricity Review 2026 by Ember analyzes electricity generation and demand across the EU-27 for 2025. The report highlights a historic tipping point where wind and solar combined to produce more electricity than all fossil fuel sources for the first time, while coal reached a new historic low. Despite this progress, the EU remains dependent on imported gas, which drove up electricity prices and import costs in 2025. The report emphasizes the role of battery storage in reducing gas reliance and curtailment of clean power.

• In 2025, wind and solar generated more electricity than all fossil fuel sources in the EU for the first time on record. Wind and solar accounted for 30.1% (841 TWh) of EU electricity, while fossil power sources generated 29.0% (809 TWh). This milestone was achieved in 14 of the 27 EU countries, with the Netherlands and Croatia reaching this point for the first time in 2025.
• Solar power experienced record growth in 2025, increasing by 62 TWh (20.1%) compared to 2024 to reach a total of 369 TWh. This represents 13% of EU electricity, surpassing both coal and hydro. Solar generation grew in every EU country, with shares exceeding 20% in Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Cyprus, and Hungary.
• Renewables provided 47.7% (1,331 TWh) of EU electricity in 2025. This share remained stable compared to 2024 (47.9%) because exceptionally sunny conditions in Northern Europe helped offset a drop in wind and hydro output caused by unusually warm North Atlantic temperatures (+3-4°C over the long-term average).
• Fossil gas generation increased by 8% (+34 TWh) in 2025, largely due to reduced hydro output, which pushed the EU power sector's gas import bill to €32 billion (a 16% increase from 2024). This increase contributed to wholesale electricity price rises in 21 EU countries, particularly during peak gas-use hours.
• Coal power fell to a new historic low of 9.2% (257 TWh) in 2025. In 19 EU countries, coal now represents less than 5% of the power mix. Ireland stopped burning coal in June 2025, and Finland effectively phased it out in April 2025. The remaining coal generation is heavily concentrated in Germany and Poland, which together account for over 74% of the EU's coal generation.
• Grid-scale battery capacity in the EU exceeded 10 GW in 2025, more than double the 4 GW recorded in 2023. A project pipeline exceeding 40 GW is led by Germany, Poland, and Italy. In Italy, batteries already contribute to meeting demand during peak gas hours, discharging an average of 1.1 GW during early evening hours (7–8 pm) in September 2025.
• Battery storage can reduce the waste of clean power caused by curtailment. In 2025, Germany curtailed approximately 9.6 TWh of wind and solar generation (nearly 4% of total generation for these fuels). Ember estimates that if Germany's announced battery pipeline (10.5 GW/26.3 GWh) had absorbed this power, it could have avoided one-third of the curtailment and saved €0.8 billion in redispatch and gas purchase costs.

APA

Candlin, A., Czyżak, P., Fulghum, N., Smith, H. G., Heberer, L., Kaelin, C., Miranda, R., Orso, L., Petrovich, B., & Rosslowe, C. (2026). European Electricity Review. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/EMBER-Report-European-Electricity-Review-2026.pdf

Chicago

Candlin, Alison, Paweł Czyżak, Nicolas Fulghum, Hannah Granados Smith, Leo Heberer, Claire Kaelin, Raul Miranda, et al. European Electricity Review. Ember, 2026. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/EMBER-Report-European-Electricity-Review-2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{candlin2026european, author = {Candlin, Alison and Czyżak, Paweł and Fulghum, Nicolas and Smith, Hannah Granados and Heberer, Leo and Kaelin, Claire and Miranda, Raul and Orso, Lauren and Petrovich, Beatrice and Rosslowe, Chris}, title = {{European Electricity Review}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/01/EMBER-Report-European-Electricity-Review-2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }