r/EU_Economics

Just a decade ago, almost three times as much electricity in the European Union was coming from fossil fuels as from clean sources.

But last year, for the first time, solar and wind produced more than coal, gas, and oil combined. They accounted for just over 30% of total electricity production.

This record happened despite a poor year for wind output due to low wind speeds and a slight increase in gas to compensate for lower hydropower output from dry conditions last year.

24% from Nuclear power

17% from Hydro+Other Renewables

30% from Solar+Wind

= ~70%+ electricity is Clean Energy!

That's a rare EU W ngl.

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/data-insights/in-2025-solar-and-wind-produced-more-electricity-than-fossil-fuels-in-the-european-union

Germany has the EU’s biggest battery pipeline. Ember's new analysis sets out the state of play. Over 2.5 GW of large-scale batteries are operational in Germany, more than double two years ago, and around a quarter of the EU total. The announced pipeline is 10.5 GW / 26.3 GWh. One in six German homeowners already has a home battery, and 30% are considering one in the next five years.

If Germany's announced battery pipeline had been operational in 2025, it could have avoided around a third of the 8 TWh of wind and solar curtailed last year. This level of curtailment underscores why closing nuclear plants was viewed as a step to speed up the transition; their inflexible "always-on" nature often crowded the grid, forcing renewables to be switched off during peak production. By removing this baseload "clog," Germany paved the way for a more flexible system where batteries can now capture that excess green energy.

The estimated savings from this shift are significant: roughly €0.8 billion in redispatch costs and avoided gas purchases—more than the cost of the batteries themselves. Had Germany deployed its current battery pipeline in 2025, it could have avoided those €800 million in gas purchases and redispatch costs.

“Amid Germany’s current fossil fuels crisis, eliminating policy barriers to batteries and other non-fossil flexibility solutions will fortify energy security and prevent costly long-term reliance on gas imports,” notes report co-author, Ember’s Beatrice Petrovich.

“We are seeing a sharp rise in demand for battery storage systems among local authorities and private households. The focus now must be on creating the right framework conditions to ensure that investment plans can become a reality – in terms of cost-efficiency, flexibility and security of supply,” adds Clara Mewes, report co-author from Initiative Klimaneutrales Deutschland (IKND).

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/germanys-battery-opportunity/