Solar energy surpassed nuclear energy for the first time in June, becoming the largest source of electricity in the European Union

In June 2025, solar energy became the largest source of electricity in the European Union for the first time. In May and June, records for photovoltaic and wind power generation continued to break, while coal power generation fell to historic lows.

Ember found that last month, solar energy became the largest source of electricity in the European Union for the first time, with record breaking solar power generation in multiple countries. The think tank stated that wind power generation reached a historic high in May and June.

In June, solar power generation accounted for 22.1% (45.4 terawatt hours) of the total electricity generation in the European Union, surpassing any other energy source and increasing by 22% year-on-year. Nuclear power generation ranks second, accounting for 21.8% (44.7 terawatt hours), followed by wind power, accounting for 15.8% (32.4 terawatt hours).

Chris Rosslowe, Senior Energy Analyst at Ember, stated that the biggest opportunity now lies in increasing energy storage and flexible power plants, extending the use of renewable energy until morning and evening, as fossil fuels still cause high electricity prices during these two time periods.

Against the backdrop of a continuous surge in photovoltaic installed capacity, at least 13 countries have reached historic highs in solar power generation. This includes Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, and Romania.

In May and June, the proportion of wind power reached historical highs of 16.6% (33.7TWh) and 15.8% (32.4TWh), respectively.

The report states that strong photovoltaic power generation has helped the power system cope with the higher demand brought by the heatwave sweeping across the African continent at the end of the month.

In May and June, wind farms respectively produced 16.6% (33.7TWh) and 15.8% (32.4TWh) of electricity in the European Union, setting a two month historical high. It is worth noting that the wind conditions were relatively poor at the beginning of the year. Although the installed capacity of wind power has continued to grow in the past year, wind conditions have improved and become the main driving force. Multiple large offshore wind farms have been put into operation.

Coal prices fall to historic lows

Due to the high renewable energy generation in June, the proportion of coal in EU electricity has dropped to a historic low. The total amount of fossil fuel power generation is also very low, but compared with the first half of the year, the amount of fossil fuel power generation has shown an increasing trend throughout the first half of the year.

In June, coal power generation accounted for only 6.1% (12.6TWh) of the EU's electricity generation, lower than 8.8% in the same period last year.

Two countries in the European Union, where coal-fired power accounted for the vast majority (79% in June), both hit historic lows in June. Among them, Germany's coal-fired power generation accounts for only 12.4% (4.8 terawatt hours) of its electricity generation, while Poland's is 42.9% (5.1 terawatt hours). Four other countries hit a historic low in coal power generation in June: Czech Republic (17.9%), Bulgaria (16.7%), Denmark (3.3%), and Spain (0.6%), which is about to phase out coal.

In June, fossil fuel power generation accounted for 23.6% (48.5 terawatt hours) of the EU's electricity generation, slightly higher than the historical low of 22.9% set in May 2024. However, fossil fuel power generation in the first half of 2025 still increased by 13% (45.7 terawatt hours) compared to the first half of 2024, mainly due to a 19% increase in natural gas power generation (35.5 terawatt hours). The hydropower (affected by drought) and wind power generation are lower than last year, and the demand for electricity is constantly increasing.

The demand for electricity continues to rise. In the first half of 2025, the EU's electricity consumption was 1.31 terawatt hours, an increase of 2.2% compared to the same period last year.