Solar hit record 25% of EU electricity in June, Ember says

Solar panels generated a quarter of the European Union's electricity for the first time in June, producing a record 52 terawatt-hours and reinforcing the technology's rapid ascent in the bloc's energy mix, according to new analysis published Monday by energy think tank Ember.reuters+1

The milestone marks a sharp jump from June 2025, when solar first became the EU's largest single power source in any month, reaching 22.1% of generation with 45.4 TWh. Just one year later, solar output grew by roughly 15%, lifting its share to 25% and once again topping nuclear, gas, wind, and all other sources.news.yahoo+3

A Boom Driven by Installations and Sunshine

Germany, Spain, and Poland have been at the forefront of the EU's solar expansion. Germany alone holds about 96 GW of installed solar capacity — roughly a third of the European total — and solar farms accounted for a record 32% of German generation in June, according to Reuters. The EU's cumulative solar fleet reached an estimated 406 GW at the end of 2025 after adding 65.1 GW of new capacity that year, according to SolarPower Europe, and installations have continued into 2026 with several countries setting daily output records in late May.cleantechnica+4

Demand for rooftop systems has also surged across Europe since the onset of the Iran conflict in late February, with some installers reporting orders more than double previous levels as households seek to shield themselves from rising energy bills.reuters

Growing Pains for the Grid

The flood of midday solar power is testing the continent's aging electricity infrastructure. Brussels Signal reported in May that around 40 TWh of solar electricity could be curtailed — switched off to avoid overloading networks — during the summer of 2026, up roughly a quarter from the year before. Reuters noted that Europe's solar glut is pushing the power system into a difficult new phase, requiring rapid buildout of battery storage and grid upgrades to absorb daytime surpluses.brusselssignal+1

Utility-scale battery capacity in Europe has been growing quickly — SolarPower Europe estimated 15 GWh was added in 2025 alone — but analysts warn that storage deployment still lags behind the pace of solar installations.reuters

What Comes Next

The June record caps a period of extraordinary growth. In 2025, wind and solar together generated 30% of EU electricity, overtaking fossil fuels for the first time. Solar alone contributed 13% of full-year EU power in 2025, up from roughly 10% just two years earlier. With capacity still expanding and panel costs remaining competitive, Ember's data suggests the gap between solar and other sources is likely to widen further in the summers ahead.ember-energy+4