Solar power generation in Europe is set for a record year, if first-quarter solar output is anything to go by.
Electricity generation from solar power farms jumped by 32% in January to March this year compared to the same period of 2024, according to data from Ember cited by Reuters market analyst Gavin Maguire.
All key solar markets in Europe saw solar power gaining record-high shares of the electricity mix, the data showed. These include Germany, France, Greece, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Poland.
In March alone, solar power farms represented 8.2% of Europe’s utility-supplied electricity. This was higher than the 6% share in the same month of 2024. The increase in solar’s share suggests that a growing part of Europe’s power mix now comes from renewable energy sources.
The trend became evident last year, when solar power overtook coal generation in the European Union. Solar power generation accounted for 11% of EU electricity and coal fell below 10% for the first time ever, data from clean energy think tank Ember showed.
Outside the EU, solar power hit in early April a new maximum solar generation record in the UK. Already this year multiple records for maximum solar generation have been set in March and April, with the latest record standing at 12.68 gigawatts (GW), the UK’s National Energy System Operator (NESO) said last week. This is greater than Britain’s total import capability across the European interconnectors, the system operator added.
While solar output is breaking records across major European markets, wind power generation faltered at the end of 2024 and early 2025 amid low wind speeds.
For example, the lower wind power generation, Germany’s largest source of electricity, has extended from the end of 2024 to the early weeks of 2025, too. As a result, Germany’s power producers this winter boosted fossil fuel generation, with coal and natural gas power plants raising their electricity output.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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