{"id":6603,"date":"2026-07-20T07:25:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:25:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=6603"},"modified":"2026-07-20T07:25:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:25:38","slug":"solar-power-becomes-the-eus-largest-source-of-electricity-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=6603","title":{"rendered":"Solar Power Becomes the EU’s Largest Source of Electricity for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BRUSSELS:<\/strong> Solar energy has become the largest source of electricity in the European Union for the first time<\/strong>, marking a major milestone in the region’s transition toward clean and renewable energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a new report by energy think tank Ember<\/strong>, solar power generated a record 52 terawatt-hours (TWh)<\/strong> of electricity across the European Union in June 2026<\/strong>, accounting for 25% of the bloc’s total monthly electricity production<\/strong>. It is the first time that solar energy has supplied more than a quarter of the EU’s electricity in a single month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report highlights the rapid expansion of renewable energy across Europe, driven by increased investment in solar infrastructure, supportive government policies, and growing efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Solar Overtakes Other Energy Sources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ember’s analysis shows that solar energy emerged as the largest electricity source<\/strong> in the European Union during June 2026, surpassing all other forms of power generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report breaks down the EU’s electricity mix as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Solar power:<\/strong> 25%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Nuclear energy:<\/strong> 21%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Natural gas:<\/strong> 15%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Wind energy:<\/strong> 14%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Hydropower:<\/strong> 12%<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Coal:<\/strong> 8%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The figures underline the changing energy landscape in Europe, where renewable sources continue to gain ground while coal’s contribution has steadily declined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rapid Growth in Solar Capacity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The report notes that the European Union has experienced remarkable growth in solar installations over the past several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Between 2021 and 2025<\/strong>, the EU’s solar generation capacity expanded by more than 20% annually on average<\/strong>. In 2025 alone<\/strong>, member states installed 65.1 gigawatts (GW)<\/strong> of new solar capacity, representing one of the strongest years for renewable energy development in the bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Analysts say this sustained investment has enabled Europe to meet rising electricity demand while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Solar Helped Meet Demand During Heatwave<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    According to Ember, solar power played a particularly important role during the recent heatwave across Europe<\/strong>, when electricity demand increased sharply due to widespread use of air conditioning and cooling systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The report says abundant sunshine during the hot weather boosted solar electricity generation, helping power grids meet higher demand and reducing reliance on more expensive fossil fuel generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Experts noted that without the additional solar capacity installed in recent years, electricity systems across Europe would likely have faced greater pressure during periods of extreme heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Germany Leads Renewable Energy Expansion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Germany remained Europe’s leading country in renewable electricity generation, particularly in solar power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The report states that 33% of Germany’s electricity<\/strong> came from solar energy in May 2026<\/strong>, marking the first time the country had reached that level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In June 2026<\/strong>, Germany increased its solar share even further, with 36% of its electricity generated from solar power<\/strong>, reflecting the country’s continued investment in renewable energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Germany has long been a leader in Europe’s energy transition through its Energiewende<\/em> policy, which aims to replace fossil fuels and nuclear power with renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Spain Also Reaches New Milestone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Spain also recorded a significant achievement in renewable energy generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For the first time, 34% of Spain’s electricity<\/strong> was produced from solar power during June 2026<\/strong>, according to the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Since 2019<\/strong>, Spain has added more than 40 gigawatts<\/strong> of combined wind and solar generating capacity. The expansion has increased clean electricity production while contributing to noticeable reductions in electricity prices for consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Analysts say the country’s abundant sunshine and continued investment in renewable technologies have positioned Spain among Europe’s fastest-growing clean energy markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Transition Away from Fossil Fuels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The report emphasizes that Europe’s growing reliance on solar and other renewable energy sources is helping reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels while supporting climate goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The declining share of coal\u2014now just 8%<\/strong> of electricity generation\u2014illustrates the accelerating shift toward cleaner energy across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Energy experts believe continued investment in renewable technologies, battery storage, and modern electricity grids will further strengthen Europe’s energy resilience and help achieve long-term carbon reduction targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The latest findings demonstrate that solar energy is no longer a supplementary source of electricity but has become a central pillar of the European Union’s energy system, setting a new benchmark for the global transition to sustainable power generation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    BRUSSELS: Solar energy has become the largest source of electricity in the European Union for the first time, marking a major milestone in the region’s..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/438344_4565369_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/438344_4565369_updates-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/438344_4565369_updates-1-300x171.jpg",300,171,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/438344_4565369_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/438344_4565369_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/438344_4565369_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/438344_4565369_updates-1.jpg",700,400,false]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"World<\/a>","tag_info":"World","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6603"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6606,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6603\/revisions\/6606"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}