Renewables Approach 50 Percent Mark in EU in July 2026 – Solar Power Nears Level of Nuclear Output

Münster — The expansion of wind and solar power continued to push electricity supply in the European Union further toward renewable sources. In July 2026, feed-in from wind, solar, biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy rose significantly year on year, reaching nearly 50 percent of total EU electricity feed-in.

The European power plant fleet is undergoing a continuing structural shift toward renewable energy. The shift is driven mainly by uneven growth rates: renewable energy sources as a whole are expanding considerably faster than conventional feed-in, which remained largely unchanged overall. This trend is clearly reflected in the July feed-in data for the EU.

Wind and Solar Drive Growth: Renewables Approach the 50 Percent Mark

Renewable energy feed-in rose 7.7 percent to 99.53 billion kWh in July 2026, up from 92.41 billion kWh in July 2025, lifting the renewable share of total EU electricity feed-in to 49.8 percent, up from 47.9 percent a year earlier. Solar power contributed the largest share of the growth, rising 24.3 percent to 44.64 billion kWh. Wind energy was the second-strongest growth driver, up 12.3 percent to 30.97 billion kWh. Biomass also increased slightly, up 2.7 percent to 6.12 billion kWh. By contrast, hydropower declined 22.9 percent to 17.37 billion kWh, and geothermal energy fell 2.2 percent to 0.44 billion kWh.

Solar and Nuclear Power Now Nearly Level: Solar Output Hits Record of Over 180,000 MW on July 10

At 44.64 billion kWh, solar power feed-in in July 2026 was just 4.22 billion kWh below nuclear power feed-in of 48.86 billion kWh, putting solar power at around 91 percent of the nuclear power level. In July 2025, the gap was more than three times as wide at 13.88 billion kWh, with solar power feed-in of 35.92 billion kWh equivalent to around 72 percent of the nuclear power volume. The narrowing gap was further reinforced by a 1.9 percent year-on-year decline in nuclear power feed-in itself.

In terms of feed-in capacity, solar power in the EU reached a new record of 180,334 MW on July 10, 2026. Averaged over the month, EU solar capacity stood at 152,410 MW during the midday period between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. in July 2026.

Conventional Generation Stagnates: Lignite Slumps, Nuclear Declines, Gas and Hard Coal Rise

Total conventional electricity feed-in in the EU remained nearly unchanged year on year in July 2026, at 100.14 billion kWh compared with 100.34 billion kWh in July 2025, a decline of 0.2 percent. A breakdown by energy source shows significant shifts, however. Lignite feed-in fell sharply, down 14.9 percent to 9.93 billion kWh. Nuclear power feed-in also declined, down 1.9 percent to 48.86 billion kWh, from 49.80 billion kWh in July 2025. These declines were offset by increases in hard coal, up 15.5 percent to 7.44 billion kWh; gas, up 4.5 percent to 30.98 billion kWh; oil, up 5.0 percent to 1.25 billion kWh; and waste, up 5.7 percent to 1.68 billion kWh.

About the European Grid Operator Data (ENTSO-E)

The IWR analysis is based on EU country-level data provided by national transmission system operators and reported to the European grid operators' association ENTSO-E. The data cover net electricity feed-in into the power grids; electricity volumes not fed into the grid, such as self-consumption and own use, are not reflected in the statistics. As a result, gross electricity generation figures in official annual statistics, such as those published by Eurostat, may differ from these near-real-time measurements and projections.

Source: IWR Online, Aug 08 2026