Eurelectric: renewable power generates more than half of EU’s electricity in H1 2024

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
european energy
Renewable power generated 692TWh of electricity, 50.39% of Europe’s total electricity supply, and close to double the 359TWh of electricity generated by fossil fuels. Image: European Energy.

European electricity trade association Eurelectric has published its latest figures into the European energy mix, and reports that, in the first half of the year, renewable energy accounted for more than half of the continent’s power supply.

In total, renewable power generated 692TWh of electricity, 50.39% of Europe’s total electricity supply, and close to double the 359TWh of electricity generated by fossil fuels. Onshore wind and hydropower were the largest contributors to this figure, with 228.8TWh and 220.7TWh of generation, respectively, while solar accounted for 137TWh.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

Although solar’s contribution is smaller than some of the other forms of renewable power generation, the solar sector is on pace for a record-breaking year; should the rate of electricity generation continue for H2 2024, solar will generate 274TWh of electricity by the end of the year, more than coal-fired power plants for the first time.

The graph below demonstrates how the contribution of various power sources to the EU energy mix in recent years, and the forecast rate of electricity generation for the remainder of the year, if each power source maintains its rate of electricity generation in H2 2024.

The graph demonstrates how renewable power has become an increasingly integral part of the EU’s energy mix in the last five years, with wind and hydropower on pace to exceed the electricity generation of natural gas by the end of 2024. Wind, hydro and solar have all seen their contribution to the EU’s energy mix increase from 2020 to 2023, and this trend is expected to continue in 2024, while the contributions of fossil fuels and nuclear power have declined over this period.

Eurelectric also notes that “low-carbon energy sources,” that is to say renewable power plus nuclear, accounted for 74% of the EU’s electricity supply in H1 2024, an increase from 68% in 2023.

“The pace of change is impressive,” said Eurelectric secretary general Kristian Ruby. “These figures document that the decarbonisation efforts of electricity companies are years ahead of any other sector.”

Much of this growth in solar power generation has been driven by new capacity additions in some of Europe’s largest PV markets. In the first four months of the year, Germany added more than 5GW of new solar capacity, while Italy’s utility-scale sector grew by 373% in Q1 2024. The strong performance of the European solar sector is a microcosm of growth in global solar deployments, with the world’s installed solar capacity growing 87% in 2023.

However, questions remain for the European PV sector, most notably the financial viability of locating upstream manufacturing capacity on the continent. This was a common topic of conversation at last month’s Intersolar event, held in Germany, and expanding European manufacturing is a priority for the long-term health of the European solar sector.

Ruby also noted that Europe’s electricity demand has been falling in recent years, a phenomenon that could create an imbalance between renewable energy demand and supply on the continent that could threaten the long-term financial viability of renewable power generation in Europe. According to Eurelectric’s figures, European power demand in H1 2024 was 2.6% lower than in H1 2022, while power demand in H1 2023 was 3.4% lower than the same period in the previous year.

“Years of stagnation in electricity demand have now turned into a regular decline,” said Ruby. “Policymakers must urgently support the uptake of electricity to provide the necessary investment signals for clean generation.”

Policymakers have already taken a number of steps to improve other aspects of the European renewable power sector, most notably the implementation of the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) over the weekend and the launch of the European Solar Academy at Intersolar Europe last month.

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

June 9, 2025
Sonnedix has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Renfe to supply 420GWh of renewable energy annually for its commercial operations.
June 6, 2025
Eternal Sun has acquired German solar simulator provider Wavelabs, which has resulted in the formation of a new subsidy, Wavelabs Eternal Sun.
Premium
June 6, 2025
Europe must secure the 'strategic segments' of the solar supply chain, according to experts at a PV Tech panel at this year's Intersolar event.
June 5, 2025
Investment in clean energy and grids will reach US$2.2 trillion in 2025, double the expected investment into fossil fuels this year, according to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA).
June 4, 2025
Independent power producer (IPP) Enlight Renewable Energy is expanding its Gecama Wind Project in Castilla La Mancha, Spain, by integrating solar PV and battery energy storage systems.
June 3, 2025
A joint venture featuring global oil major bp will begin construction on a 240MW solar PV project in Azerbaijan.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece