Last month, solar energy accounted for a quarter of the EU’s monthly electricity generation for the first time. This meant that more electricity was generated from solar power than from nuclear power, gas, wind power and hydropower.

Solar energy generated a record 52 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity in June, according to an energy think tank Ember. That is 25 per cent of total electricity generation. Nuclear power accounted for 21 per cent and gas for 15 per cent. Wind power accounted for 14 per cent and hydropower for 12 per cent.

In June 2021, solar energy still accounted for 10 per cent of electricity generation. No other energy source has grown as rapidly in recent years. According to Ember, this is partly due to the large-scale installation of solar panels.

According to Ember, solar power generated so much electricity in June because there is greater demand for cooling in the summer due to severe heatwaves. “Solar power helped maintain the electricity supply when other energy sources were struggling in the hot and windless conditions.”

According to the think tank, the rise of this renewable energy source is “truly phenomenal”. Solar energy is now “an essential part of the European energy system”.

Solar energy is clearly growing as a source of electricity in all EU countries. In Spain and Germany, for example, solar energy accounted for over a third of total electricity generation. The same is true of the Netherlands: in June, solar energy supplied 34.1 per cent of all electricity there.

Source: Ellen Vos – News Editor, Nu.nl