Wind and Solar Power Surpass Fossil Fuels in European Union for First Time

2026-01-22 green

Brussels, Thursday, 22 January 2026.
Europe reached a historic energy milestone in 2025 as renewable sources generated 30% of electricity compared to fossil fuels’ 29%. Solar power drove this breakthrough with remarkable 20% annual growth for four consecutive years, now providing over one-fifth of electricity in countries like the Netherlands and Spain. This shift occurred across 14 EU member states, with coal falling to just 9.2% of generation. However, infrastructure challenges persist as outdated power grids force renewable operators to waste electricity during peak production periods.

Solar Power Leads the Charge

The transformation was driven primarily by an extraordinary surge in solar power generation, which increased by 20.1% in 2025, marking its fourth consecutive year of growth above 20% [1][4]. Solar power alone accounted for 13% of the EU’s electricity in 2025, a record high that exceeded both coal and hydropower [5]. This growth was widespread across all EU member states, with solar providing more than one-fifth of electricity in Hungary, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, and the Netherlands [5]. The Netherlands experienced particularly strong solar growth of 31% compared to 2024, helping the country achieve the milestone of generating more electricity from wind and solar than fossil fuels for the first time [9].

Wind Energy Maintains Strong Position

Wind energy remained the second-largest electricity source in the EU, generating 17% of total power in 2025 [3][4]. Despite a 2% decline compared to 2024 due to unusual weather conditions [2][5], wind turbines still produced more electricity than gas-fired power plants [3]. Combined with solar, wind power helped renewables account for 48% of the EU’s electricity mix in 2025 [4][6]. Croatia joined the Netherlands in reaching the wind and solar milestone for the first time in 2025, driven by strong growth in both technologies with solar increasing 57% and wind rising 19% compared to 2024 [9].

Fossil Fuel Decline Accelerates

The decline in fossil fuel dependency has accelerated significantly over the past five years, with their share falling from 36.7% in 2020 to 29% in 2025 [2][4]. Coal power generation reached a historic low of 9.2% of EU electricity in 2025, with 19 EU countries now generating less than 5% of their electricity from coal [2][6]. However, gas generation increased by 8% in 2025 due to reduced hydropower output, though it remained 18% below its 2019 peak [3][4]. This increased gas usage resulted in the EU’s gas import bill for power rising to €32 billion in 2025, a 16% increase from 2024 [2][4].

Infrastructure Challenges and Financial Implications

Despite the renewable energy success, significant infrastructure challenges remain. Underinvestment in power grids has forced wind and solar operators to switch off during high output periods, wasting valuable clean electricity [1]. In the United Kingdom alone, total wasted wind costs have surpassed £3 billion (€3.44 billion), equating to 24,643 MWh of unused green electricity [2]. Average electricity prices during hours of heavy gas use were up 11% across the EU compared to 2024, with price spikes in 2025 coinciding with peaks in gas usage [1][4]. The European Commission estimates that power grid investments of €584 billion per year are needed until 2030 to meet climate targets [2]. Industry analysts emphasize that rapid deployment of grids, batteries, and flexibility measures is now the primary challenge, rather than electricity generation capacity itself [3].

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