In front of a half-finished turbine at the Eoliennes flottantes du Golfe du Lion pilot wind farm, under construction, Port-la-Nouvelle, France, June 2, 2025. ED JONES / AFP
The London-based think tank Ember is celebrating a "new milestone" on the still-long road toward an energy transition. In 2025, across all 27 member states of the European Union, the combined amount of electricity generated by wind and solar – both low-carbon sources – exceeded that produced from fossil sources (gas, coal and, to a lesser extent, oil), which are harmful to the climate. These accounted for 30% and 29% of electricity generation respectively, according to data compiled in the 10th edition of the European Electricity Review, an overview published on Thursday, January 22.
Solar photovoltaic panels have been largely credited for this trend reversal. They delivered a record total of 369 terawatt hours (TWh) throughout 2025 – a sharp year-on-year increase (+20%). This growth has been fueled by the expansion of installed capacity, both from large power plants and from smaller rooftop panels. Beyond the issue of climate change, "the momentum behind solar is mainly due to the fact that over the past 10 years, costs have dropped dramatically," said Antoine Issac, an analyst at Ember – even if this means sourcing massively from the Chinese industry, which holds an almost monopolistic position in panel manufacturing.
