This analysis looks at monthly records for solar generation in the EU and EU countries, finding that a quarter of EU power came from solar in June 2026 for the first ever month. More monthly data and data trends can be accessed in Ember’s Electricity Data Explorer.
For the first month ever, solar power provided a quarter of EU electricity this June. Solar generated a record 52 TWh of EU electricity in June 2026, making up 25% of monthly generation for the bloc. This beat solar’s previous monthly high of 47 TWh (23%) in May 2026.
Solar was the EU’s largest single source of power for the month, ahead of nuclear (21%), gas (15%), wind (14%) and hydro (12%), as coal generated just 8%. This is only the third month that solar has been the EU’s largest source of power, after June 2025 and May 2026.
Record solar output across Europe coincided with relatively high summer power demand, driven partially by demand for cooling due to record-breaking heatwaves. Solar helped sustain power supplies as other power sources struggled in hot and still conditions.
Solar’s rise has been truly stratospheric, beating prediction after prediction. In just a few years solar has gone from a small player to an essential part of Europe’s power system, as governments and citizens look for low-cost, quick-to-install domestic power sources.
This milestone follows a period of extremely rapid growth over the past five years. In June of 2021, solar generated just 10% of power (21 TWh).
Solar has grown by more than a fifth every year in the EU between 2021 and 2025 – the fastest growth of any power source. This is predominantly due to a high pace of installations, with 65.1 GW of new capacity installed in 2025.
Solar’s growth is visible across the EU’s Member States. In 2026 so far, eighteen EU countries have hit new monthly records for the percentage of power from solar.
In Spain, solar generated over a third of power in June 2026 for the first time (34%). Supportive policies for renewables in Spain have boosted roll-out, helping avoid €10 a month on power bills in the energy crisis following the US-Israel war with Iran.
In Germany, solar generated more than a third of electricity in May for the first time (33%), reaching a 36% share in June.
Poland generated nearly a quarter of electricity from solar in June (24%). Despite being one of the EU’s largest coal users, Poland has also seen some of the most rapid solar growth in Europe, adding over 20 GW of solar capacity between 2020 and 2025.
Electricity generation data for the EU is using Ember’s Monthly Electricity Data. A full methodology of sources and adjustments can be found here.
‘Share of generation’ referred to in this report includes domestic generation, but excludes imports and export flows of electricity.
Thank you for the support from Lauren Orso on data visualisations, Claire Kaelin on digital and Leo Heberer for data checks.
Liam Matter / Getty Images
Ember is an energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. Ember is the trading name of Ember Energy Research CIC, a Community Interest Company registered in England & Wales #06714443. 'Ember' is a trademark held at the United Kingdom and European Union Intellectual Property Offices. All content is released under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC-BY-4.0). Website powered by 100% renewable electricity.
