Wind and solar generated more power than fossil fuels in the EU for the first time in 2025

Wind and solar generated more EU electricity than fossil fuels in 2025, according to the European Electricity Review published today by think tank Ember. Wind and solar generated a record 30% of EU power, ahead of fossil fuels at 29%.

“This milestone moment shows just how rapidly the EU is moving towards a power system backed by wind and solar,” said report author Dr. Beatrice Petrovich. “As fossil fuel dependencies feed instability on the global stage, the stakes of transitioning to clean energy are clearer than ever.”

The European Electricity Review published today by global energy think tank Ember provides the first comprehensive overview of the EU power system in 2025. It analyses full-year electricity generation and demand data for 2025 in all EU-27 countries to understand the region’s progress in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean electricity.

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Solar booms as renewables provide nearly half of EU power

Wind and solar overtaking fossil fuels in 2025 can be largely attributed to a staggering rise in solar power. Solar grew by more than a fifth (+20.1%) for the fourth year running. It generated a record 13% of EU power in 2025, above both coal and hydro.

This trend was widespread: all EU countries saw growth in solar generation compared to the year before, amid a huge expansion in EU solar installations. Solar provided more than a fifth of electricity in Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain and the Netherlands.

Renewables provided nearly half of EU power (48%) as unusual weather conditions caused hydro generation to fall by 12% and wind by 2%, but boosted solar generation. Wind remained the second largest EU electricity source at 17% of EU power, generating more than gas.

Signs of a structural shift are clear across the EU, as wind and solar generated more electricity than all fossil sources in 14 of the 27 EU countries in 2025. Over the past five years, wind and solar have experienced massive growth (from 20% in 2020 to 30% in 2025). Fossil fuels have fallen from 37% to 29% in the same period, while hydro and nuclear remained stable or slightly declined.

Gas increases amid a decline in hydro, pushing prices up

Gas generation rose by 8% in 2025, largely due to reduced hydro output. However, gas remains in long-term decline in the EU and in 2025 it was still 18% below its most recent 2019 peak.

The rise in gas pushed the EU power sector’s gas import bill up to €32 billion in 2025, 16% higher than the previous year. This is the first increase in gas import costs for power since the 2022 energy crisis, with Italy and Germany paying the most. Hours with the most gas use drove electricity price spikes, with average prices for those hours rising by 11% across the EU compared to 2024.

Coal continued its rapid decline, falling to a new historic low of 9.2% in 2025. Just ten years prior it provided nearly a quarter of EU power. In 19 EU countries, coal power is at zero or less than 5%. Coal fell even in the EU’s biggest coal countries, Germany and Poland, with it dropping to an all-time low in both countries.

The next priority for the EU should be to put a serious dent in reliance on expensive, imported gas. Gas not only makes the EU more vulnerable to energy blackmail, it’s also driving up prices. In 2025 we saw some early signs of using more battery storage to shift homegrown renewable power to gas-heavy hours. As this trend accelerates it could limit how much gas cis needed in evening hours, therefore stabilising prices.

Dr Beatrice Petrovich
‍Senior energy analyst, Ember

About Ember

Ember is an independent energy think tank that aims to accelerate the clean energy transition with data and policy. It creates targeted data insights to advance policies that urgently shift the world to a clean, electrified energy future.

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