According to a report published by energy analysis centre Ember, the share of solar energy in European electricity production reached 22.1% in June 2025. This represents a historic level, positioning solar energy as the main source of electricity production in the European Union (EU) for the first time. Thirteen EU countries also recorded their highest ever monthly solar production, notably the Netherlands with a record share of 40.5% and Greece with 35.1%. This unprecedented level comes after several years of significant development in new solar capacities within these countries.
Sharp rise in energy demand
The record solar performance helped European electricity grids to cope with a substantial increase in energy demand due to heatwaves that impacted the continent at the end of June. These weather conditions led to high stress on electrical systems, with notably increased demand for air conditioning. Wind power also had a strong start to the summer, supplying 16.6% and 15.8% of total EU electricity in May and June 2025 respectively, marking record levels for these two months. Favourable wind conditions primarily explain this performance.
Record drop in coal usage
Parallel to solar energy’s rise, the share of coal in European electricity production reached a historic low of 6.1% in June 2025, down from 8.8% in June 2024. This decline in coal accompanies the growth in renewable energies, which accounted for almost three quarters of European electricity production during this month. In Germany and Poland, the main coal consumers within the EU, coal-fired electricity production recorded historic lows of 12.4% and 42.9% respectively in June. Other countries such as Czechia (17.9%), Bulgaria (16.7%), Denmark (3.3%) and Spain (0.6%) also reported their lowest monthly coal-based production during this period.
Progressive coal phase-out in several countries
Ireland officially closed its last coal plant on June 20, 2025, becoming the tenth European country without any coal-fired electricity production. Spain and Slovakia have also scheduled definitive shutdown dates for their coal plants throughout 2025. By the end of June, ten EU countries produced no electricity from coal. This trend is part of a broader pattern observed across Europe in recent years, with progressive closures of coal-fired power plants.
