The EU’s electricity transition has moved faster than anyone could have hoped for, but further progress cannot be taken for granted, experts say.
Solar provided more power than coal did to EU countries for the first time last year, marking a new milestone in the unstoppable rise of renewables.
The sunlight-soaking renewable generated 11 per cent of EU electricity in 2024, overtaking the dirtiest fossil fuel, which dropped below 10 per cent.
Energy think tank Ember’s annual European Electricity Review charts a “deep transformation” within the bloc’s power sector, which has made speedy progress towards clean energy over the last five years.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” says Dr Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead author of the report published today.
“At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”
How much EU electricity comes from fossil fuels and renewables?
The end is evidently in sight for coal, which has nosedived from being the second to sixth largest power source in the EU in the last decade.
There’s more good news as gas generation fell for the fifth year in a row, and wind (17 per cent) generated more electricity than gas (16 per cent) for the second year in a row.
Total fossil generation fell to a historic low, supplying 29 per cent of the EU’s electricity in 2024. That’s compared to 39 per cent before the Green Deal, which introduced key policies to catalyse the transition.
Meanwhile, strong solar growth, combined with a recovery of hydropower, pushed the share of renewables to nearly half of EU power generation (47 per cent) last year, up from 34 per cent in 2019.
“The EU is striding closer towards a clean energy future powered by homegrown wind and solar,” says Dr Beatrice Petrovich, senior analyst at Ember.
“This new energy system will reduce the bloc’s vulnerability to fossil price shocks, tackle the climate crisis, and deliver affordable energy for its households and companies.”
Indeed, without new wind and solar capacity since 2019, the EU would have had to import an extra 92 billion cubic metres of gas and 55 million tonnes of coal according to the analysts, costing €59 billion.
Which European countries are leading the solar revolution?
The EU solar fleet grew by 66 gigawatts (GW) last year, the equivalent of more than 450,000 panels added per day. It enabled a record annual increase in solar generation – which was up by 22 per cent compared to 2023.
Happily, this green trend is widespread. Solar is growing in every EU country and more than half now have either no coal power or a share below five per cent in their power mix, Ember found.
16 EU countries generated more than 10 per cent of their electricity from solar in 2024, three more than the year before. Solar on balconies boomed in Germany, while policymakers tapped into the potential of agri-PV; just some of the ways solar is spreading beyond roofs and fields.
The top three countries for solar share last year were: Hungary (25 per cent), Greece (22 per cent), and Spain (21 per cent).
At its peak production hours, solar is getting close to exceeding demand in the top solar countries, the analysts note. In the Netherlands and Hungary, more than 70 days in 2024 saw solar meeting more than 80 per cent of the country’s total demand at its peak production hour.
“Hungary has seen a substantial increase in solar generation in large part thanks to favourable support schemes, which led to a substantial increase in the country’s solar fleet over the last two years but are currently being phased out,” Dr Petrovich explains.
“The country will need an accelerated rollout of batteries and an enhanced grid to maintain its momentum and help its consumers fully benefit from abundant solar production.”
What’s needed to complete the EU’s electricity transition?
“While the EU’s electricity transition has moved faster than anyone expected in the last five years, further progress cannot be taken for granted,” says Dr Rosslowe.
“Delivery needs to be accelerated particularly in the wind sector, which has faced unique challenges and a widening delivery gap.”
The IEA and WindEurope association are predicting average annual wind additions of 19-22 GW between 2025 and 2030. But an average of 34 GW is needed to hit EU targets and deliver national plans for 2030, the report states.
This delivery gap is biggest in the offshore sector, where several governments have lowered their 2030 ambitions and forecasts due to project delays.
“However,” Dr Rosslowe adds, “the achievements of the past five years should instill confidence that, with continued drive and commitment, challenges can be overcome and a more secure energy future be achieved.”
“We now need more flexibility to kick-in, making sure the energy system is adapting to new realities: more storage and more smart electrification in heating, transport and industries,” says Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe.