In 2023, Germany accounted for the largest production of renewable energy in Europe, with approximately 274 terawatt-hours of energy generated. Norway was the second-largest producer, with some 151 terawatt-hours less than Germany. In both countries, renewable energy production increased in 2023 compared to 2023.Germany and the Norway were also among the largest renewable energy consumers in Europe in 2023, while the largest renewable energy capacity was installed in Germany.

Germany is the leading European country for renewable energy capacity, at almost 167 gigawatts installed as of 2023. Spain ranked second, but accounted for less than half the German capacity of renewable energy. Unsurprisingly, the largest consumption of renewable energy in Europe also occurred in Germany, followed by France.

Germany led Europe in renewable energy consumption, with 2.78 exajoules consumed in 2023, up from 2.03 exajoules in 2015. France and Norway followed as the second and third largest consumers, highlighting a broader trend of increased renewable energy use across the continent. Renewable energy production and capacity Germany's dominance in renewable energy consumption is mirrored in its production and capacity figures. In 2023, Germany's renewable energy production amounted to approximately 272 terawatt-hours, far surpassing other European nations. The country also boasted the largest installed renewable energy capacity in Europe, with almost 167 gigawatts as of 2023. This substantial capacity allows Germany to meet its high renewable energy consumption needs and contributes to its leadership in the sector. European renewable energy landscape The broader European renewable energy landscape shows a promising growth. Total renewable energy consumption in Europe reached about 18 exajoules in 2023, marking a nine percent increase from the previous year. Wind power has emerged as the primary renewable source in the European Union's electricity mix since 2017, accounting for over 39 percent of the EU's renewable mix in 2023.

As of February 2025, several countries across the European Union had established ambitious renewable power targets. Estonia and Sweden plan to achieve a 100 percent renewable electricity generation by 2030. In contrast, Poland's renewable targets for that year were just over 50 percent. According to the EU Renewable Energy Directive, countries in the European Union must reach a share of at least 42.5 percent of renewables in their total energy consumption, although the directive encourages to aim for 45 percent. Renewable energy pipeline in Europe The further deployment of renewable technologies in the region is essential to achieve these targets. As of February 2025, prospective wind energy projects in Europe’s renewable pipeline amounted to more than 645 gigawatts, although from this, only 22 megawatts were already in the construction stage. Northern Europe accounted for most of the wind energy planned capacity in the region. Regarding solar, Europe had a utility-scale prospective capacity of 255 gigawatts, with Southern Europe accounting for most of planned installations.
Europe’s wind and solar outlook In the next years, wind and solar installations are forecast to more than double in the European Union. It is estimated that in 2030, the region’s solar capacity will amount to some 625 gigawatts, growing from the 257 gigawatts operating at the end of 2023. For wind, forecasts point to an installed capacity of roughly 400 gigawatts by 2030. Approximately 20 percent of this capacity will correspond to offshore installations.

Nordic countries Sweden and Finland had the largest shares of domestic electricity produced from clean sources among EU countries in 2023, with around 98 and 94 percent, respectively. Hydropower, nuclear, and wind energy were the main sources of electricity in Sweden. In contrast, in Malta, one of the European countries with the smallest shares of clean electricity generated, natural gas accounted for the largest share of power production.

In 2021, Austria was the country with the largest share of renewables in final electricity consumption within the European Union, with more than 76 percent. Sweden followed, with a share of 75.7 percent. In contrast, Malta ranked last within the EU, with renewables accounting for less than 10 percent of final electricity consumption in the country that year.

The European countries with the cleanest electricity grid are Albania and Iceland. The two nations rely exclusively on renewable energy sources for power generation. The Nordic countries figure among the top 10 countries in the ranking: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark produce most of their electricity from wind, hydropower, and nuclear energy.

In 2023, Germany was the country with the greatest electricity production volume among all EU members, at 61,216 gigawatt hours. This was similar to the combined electricity production of Italy and Spain.

The overall share of renewables in the European Union's final energy consumption reached 24.6 percent in 2023. Sweden was the country with the largest share of renewables with over 66 percent of energy consumption covered by renewables that year. According to the 2030 renewable energy targets of the region, EU member states must reach a renewable consumption share of at least 42.5 percent by 2030.

In 2023, Luxembourg and Denmark were the countries with the highest penetration of wind and solar energy across Europe. Denmark produced about 67 percent of the renewable electricity from wind and solar sources. Luxembourg generated about 67.5 percent of renewable electricity from wind and solar sources that year.

Germany produces the most electricity from wind power out of all European Union member states. In 2023, around 142 terawatt hours of electricity were produced in the country. This was nearly double the amount generated in Spain, which ranked second. That year, total wind power production in the EU reached 476.6 terawatt hours.

Germany is the leading producer of primary energy from solid biomass across the European Union. Production volumes in the country reached an estimated 12.58 million metric tons of oil equivalent in 2023, which was over two million metric tons more than France, ranked second. Total primary energy production from solid biomass in the whole European Union surpassed 94 million metric tons that same year.

The European Union's renewable energy generation capacity reached almost 614 gigawatts in 2022. The share of renewables in the EU's electricity sector was 37.6 percent in 2021.

Germany was by far the largest renewable fuel producer in the European Union in 2018, at 43 million tonnes of oil equivalent. France and Italy were the second and third largest producers, at 27.62 and 26.66 million tonnes of oil equivalent.

Nuclear plants are the main source of electricity in the European Union, accounting for approximately 619 terawatt-hours in 2023, around 20 percent of the power produced that year. Wind followed, with 470 terawatt-hours generated. Among fossil fuels, gas was the largest contributor, with some 450 terawatt-hours. Nuclear power in the EU France is the main contributor to nuclear power production in the EU, accounting for almost half of the region’s total output in 2022. Spain and Sweden were also among the main producers that year. Despite remaining the leading source of electricity, nuclear power generation in the EU has been on a mostly downward trend for more than a decade, with many countries committed to shutting down remaining reactors like Germany did in April 2023. Fossil fuel persistence in the EU Renewable electricity production in the EU has grown in the past decade. Nevertheless, fossil fuels still persist in the region’s electricity mix, with over 800 terawatt-hours generated in 2023. In fact, coal-fired electricity production in the EU even increased in 2022. This was a result of low renewable output – in particular wind and hydropower – in addition to rising natural gas prices.

At 1,342.1 watts per inhabitant, the Netherlands had the highest installed solar PV capacity per capita in 2023. This was followed by Germany and Belgium at approximately 974.3 and 745.1 watts per inhabitant, respectively. Since 2017 the solar PV capacity installed and connected across the EU increased annually, with 32.8 gigawatts added in 2022.Solar electricity production on the rise Electricity production from solar PV has increased annually in recent years, and by 2022 had reached 205,156 gigawatt-hours. In terms of production, Germany is the leading country in the EU and in 2022 it pushed its output to roughly 60 TWh. This was more than the combined production of Italy and Spain, who were the next biggest producers. Renewable energy generation In 2021, solar power’s share of renewable electricity generation across the EU was 15.2 percent, which represents a slight increase when compared to the previous year. Since 2013, the share of solar in power generation in the EU increased by roughly five percent. In comparison, wind power shares increased from 22.7 percent to 37.6 percent during this period.

Germany is expected to reach a solar PV capacity of over 170 gigawatts in 2028, leading the solar market in the European Union. Spain is forecast to rank second with a total capacity of 83 gigawatts of solar by 2028. In 2023, Germany was also the country with the highest solar capacity in the EU. In total, the region had a solar PV capacity of 257 gigawatts. Expansion of solar energy across the EU Overall, the EU is forecast to install between 65.5 and 81.5 gigawatts of solar power annually between 2025 and 2028, according to a medium growth scenario. This projection reflects the rapid growth of solar power across the EU, as the bloc aims to significantly increase its renewable energy production in the coming years. In terms of solar electricity production, forecasts point to a generation of approximately 634 terawatt hours, more than doubling the amount produced in 2023. Economic impact and job creation The solar industry is not only contributing to the EU's energy transition but also creating substantial employment opportunities and revenue. In 2023, the solar PV workforce in the European Union comprised 830,000 positions. This number is forecast to grow significantly, potentially reaching over one million jobs by 2028 under a medium growth scenario. This expansion in the workforce reflects the sector's economic importance and its role in driving sustainable development across the EU.

In 2022, production of renewable energy was higher in Asia than any other region at 3.7 petawatt hours in total that year. North America and Europe followed as top generators of renewable energy, though in each region, production was less than half that of Asia. Renewable energy in China High production of renewable energy in Asia comes in part from the region’s high energy demand, with China alone accounting for over a quarter of total global primary energy consumption . While the country is home to the largest installed capacity of renewable energy in the world, including sources such as hydro, solar, and wind power, the current production of renewables is not enough to meet China’s exceptionally high energy demands. Electricity from renewables Since 2008, renewable energy has become an increasingly common source of electricity. In Europe especially, the wind-power sector has seen significant developments over the past decade, with electricity consumption from offshore wind in the European Union predicted to be over ten times higher in 2020 than in 2010. Currently, roughly a quarter of total electricity generated worldwide comes from renewable resources .

Among the European countries, primary energy consumption in 2023 was highest in Germany, at 11.4 exajoules. This was followed by France and Turkey. Primary energy is energy taken directly from natural resources such as crude oil, coal and wind. This means primary energy can be either non-renewable or renewable. Fossil fuel consumption highest In 2023, primary energy consumption in the European Union derived mostly from fossil fuels, with oil consumption amounting to around 22 exajoules. In comparison, the consumption of coal for primary energy has been in a steady decline, signaling a shift away from this energy source. The consumption of renewables has been increasing annually during this time period and amounted to nearly 10 exajoules. Global consumption Primary energy consumption is highest in the Asia Pacific region, with consumption in this region amounting to some 292 exajoules in 2023. Globally, China is the largest consumer of primary energy in the world and consumed 170.7 exajoules in 2023.

Since 2017, wind power stands as the main renewable source in the European Union's electricity mix. In 2022, electricity from wind power accounted for 38.9 percent of the EU's renewable mix. Hydropower was the major renewable source in the EU's electricity mix in the prior years. By comparison, ocean and geothermal power were the renewable sources with the lowest electricity generation in the region in 2022, with 0.5 and 6.4 terawatt hours, respectively.