Across both May and June, solar was the European Union’s top source of electricity — and provided a record-high 25% of the region’s power last month, per new data from think tank Ember. Several countries, including Spain and Germany, received more than one-third of their electricity from solar in June; in Hungary, it supplied nearly 50%.
The data highlights Europe’s rapid solar adoption. Five years ago, solar delivered around 10% of the EU’s electricity even in the sunniest months. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 destabilized the region’s gas-dependent electricity system and spurred member states to build out clean energy faster than they had planned to.
More solar has meant less coal and natural gas on the EU grid, which has helped slash planet-warming pollution. Carbon dioxide emissions from the EU electricity sector declined by nearly one-fifth between 2020 and 2025.
Many analysts — including those at Ember — expect the war in Iran and the resulting spike in fossil fuel prices to once again accelerate the EU’s investment in renewables. Shortly after the U.S. and Israel initially attacked Iran, EU energy chief Dan Jørgensen urged the bloc to double down on clean energy. Last week, he unveiled a new Electrification Action Plan that would see the EU double its current rate of electrification.
Jørgensen paired his announcement with a simple statement: “The age of fossil fuels is coming to an end.”
