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\n 02\/07\/2026 – 9:55 GMT+2\n <\/p>\n
The EU\u2019s share of electricity generated from renewables continues to grow, new Eurostat data reveals.<\/p>\n
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In the first quarter of 2026, it reached 45.5 per cent of the total electricity generated. This is up from 42.7 per cent in the same period in 2025. <\/p>\n
Wind led the way, covering 44.9 per cent of the total renewable electricity, followed by hydropower at 28 per cent and solar<\/a> at 17.3 per cent. The remainder came from combustible renewable fuels (9.4 per cent), geothermal and other energy sources (0.4 per cent).<\/p>\n It comes as the EU doubles down on green, homegrown power as a national security measure after the Iran war energy crisis highlighted the volatility of relying on fossil fuel<\/a> imports.<\/p>\n Which EU countries are leading on renewables \u2013 and which are falling behind?<\/p>\n Denmark leads with the highest share of electricity from renewable sources in the EU at 90 per cent \u2013 mostly wind power \u2013 according to Eurostat. In second place thanks to an abundance of hydropower, Portugal boasts 82.9 per cent, followed by Lithuania<\/a> \u2013 another wind leader \u2013 with 75.7 per cent.<\/p>\n At the other end of the spectrum, the countries benefiting least from the green transition are Czechia, with 12.7 per cent of its electricity generated from renewables, Malta (13 per cent) and Slovakia (17.2 per cent).<\/p>\n Renewables are lowering household bills in Europe<\/p>\n As well as slashing planet-heating emissions, investment in renewables is helping to reduce energy bills at a time when gas prices are at an all-time high. The EU saved \u20ac51.4 billion in 2025 by lowering fossil fuel imports, according to a recent report<\/a> by the International Energy Agency (IEA). <\/p>\n A separate report<\/a> by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA<\/a>) found that consumers in five EU countries \u2013 Denmark, Finland, France, Sweden and Slovakia \u2013 will save \u20ac8.5 billion on their energy bills this year thanks to the high clean energy share in their electricity mix.<\/p>\n On top of the elevated oil and gas prices due to the ongoing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz shipping route, which Iran closed in response to the US-Israel offensive, European energy bills rose further amid June\u2019s unprecedented heatwave.<\/p>\n Electricity bills in France and Germany alone rose by more than \u20ac700 million<\/a> in just one week as energy demand for cooling<\/a> spiked, forcing them to fall back on gas to meet demand, according to new analysis by environmental NGO 350.org<\/a>. <\/p>\n It has raised fresh questions over whether Europe\u2019s \u2018merit order<\/a>\u2019 system \u2013 in which the most expensive power source required to meet demand, typically gas, sets the price for the entire grid \u2013 can ever be compatible with a renewables-dominated future. <\/p>\n