Some 42.5% of net electricity generated in the European Union came from renewable sources in the first quarter of 2025, a 4.3-percentage-point decline on the corresponding period a year earlier (46.8%).
While there was a significant increase in solar output in the quarter – from 40.9 TWh to 55 TWh – this wasn’t enough to offset a decline in hydro and wind power, which together fell by 42 TWh.
Wind accounted for the highest share of electricity generated from renewable sources in Q1, at 42.5%, followed by hydropower (29.2%), solar (18.1%), biomass (9.8%), and geothermal (0.5%), the Eurostat data showed.
Denmark leads the way
Denmark generated the highest share of electricity from renewable sources in the quarter, at 88.5%, followed by Portugal (86.6%), and Croatia (77.3%).
The lowest shares, meanwhile, were recorded in Czechia (13.4%), Malta (14.4%), and Slovakia (15.1%).
Overall, 19 EU member states saw the share of renewable electricity generated fall, year-on-year, with Greece (-12.4 percentage points), Lithuania (-12.0 percentage points) and Slovakia (-10.6 percentage points) seeing the biggest declines.
Renewable energy capacity
Elsewhere, according to IRENA’s recent Renewable Capacity Highlights 2025 report, global renewable energy capacity reached 4,448 GW as of the end of last year, marking a 15.1% increase.
Solar energy led with 1,865 GW, followed by hydropower at 1,283 GW and wind at 1,133 GW. Bioenergy, geothermal, and marine energy contributed 151 GW, 15 GW, and 1 GW respectively.
Solar capacity alone rose by 32.2%, while wind increased by 11.1%. Read more here and here.
Read more: 5 takeaways from a record-breaking year for renewables
