The European Union produced more electricity from photovoltaic systems than from hydropower this summer, a study by Ember Climate revealed on Thursday.
From May to August, the EU generated 99.4 terawatt-hours of electricity from solar energy, which is 28 percent more than in the same period last year.
The share of solar energy in total electricity production was 12.2 percent, compared to nine percent in the summer of last year. This allowed photovoltaic systems to surpass hydropower and equal wind power, according to Ember Climate.
Water levels in European hydropower plants fell sharply this summer due to prolonged heatwaves.
Ember Climate also highlights that 18 out of 27 EU countries set records for the share of solar energy in total electricity production, with the Netherlands taking the lead at 23 percent. Germany follows with 19 percent and Spain with 17 percent. Shares above 10 percent were also recorded by Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, and Italy.
Over the past four years, Poland has increased its solar capacity the most, by 26 times, with a share of solar energy in total production this summer of eight percent.
Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Luxembourg were excluded from the analysis as their electricity imports exceed 30 percent of demand, the report states. Sweden was excluded because data prior to 2022 was not published.
Solar energy production is accelerating across Europe, with an increase of eight terawatt-hours in the EU between 2020 and 2021, and an impressive 22 terawatt-hours between 2021 and 2022.
The additional solar energy corresponds to gas imports worth 29 billion euros, the study’s calculations show.
