Renewables muscle fossil fuels out of EU electricity market, says research

Solar and wind power provided more electricity than coal and gas last year, leading a global trend, said think tank Ember.Published On 22 Jan 2026Solar and wind power outperformed fossil fuels in the European Union for the first time last year, a new high watermark on Europe’s transition to green and autonomous energy.The two sources of energy generated 30 percent of EU electricity, compared with 29 percent for coal and gas, Ember, a global energy think tank, said on Thursday in its European Electricity Review.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US and China provoke sharp fall in global outlook for renewable powerlist 2 of 4Japan set to restart world’s biggest nuclear power plantlist 3 of 4Ukraine scrambling for energy as Russian strikes hit infrastructurelist 4 of 4Can Europe break with Trump? A tale of energy, defence, economic dependenceend of listReport author Beatrice Petrovich said the “milestone moment” demonstrated Europe’s rapid transition away from greenhouse gas-emitting fuels.If hydroelectricity and electricity generated from decaying agricultural and food waste, known as biomass, were to be added, the renewables’ share of the electricity market rose to 48 percent.Nuclear power, which is emissions-free, generated another 23 percent of EU power.What’s behind the solar power surge?This positive tipping point for Europe was reached thanks to an annual one-fifth surge in solar power for four years running, partly driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its cutoff of pipeline gas to Europe.Much of Europe’s transition has happened, not due to large investments in industrial-scale solar and wind farms, but thanks to rooftop photovoltaic panels installed on homes, Ember has said.Recent research suggested that this is still an underused pathway to energy autonomy, and that rooftop solar panels can cover 40 percent of EU needs.Solar and wind energy have been growing at record annual rates for 23 years according to the International Energy Agency, the world’s leading energy think tank, claiming an ever-growing share of the electricity market. Because the electricity market was growing as a whole, there was room for coal and gas use to grow as well. That has now changed, said Ember.Last October, it was assessed that in 2025, solar and wind power outgrew the electricity market for the first time, and began to take market share away from fossil fuels worldwide.