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Solar energy

Reducing the EU’s dependence on fossil fuels, solar energy plays a key role in the clean energy transition. 

The EU has long been a front-runner in the roll-out of solar energy. Under the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU plan, solar power is a main contributor to the energy transition and helps reduce the EU’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.

It is the most accessible renewable energy for households and can help protect consumers from volatile energy prices.  

In 2025, 47.3% of the electricity generated in the EU came from renewables and 27.5% of renewable electricity came from solar energy. June 2025 was the first month in history where solar energy was the main source of electricity generated in the EU at 22% (Eurostat). 

More facts on solar energy

EU solar energy strategy

As part of the REPowerEU plan, the Commission adopted an EU solar energy strategy in May 2022, which identifies remaining barriers and challenges in the solar energy sector and outlines initiatives to overcome them and accelerate the deployment of solar technologies.  

It set the objective to deliver over 380 GW of solar photovoltaic by 2025 (which the EU surpassed) and at least 600 GW by 2030. 

Solar panels

The EU solar energy strategy launched 3 initiatives

European Solar Rooftops Initiative 

The initiative aims to accelerate the vast and under-utilised potential of rooftops to produce clean energy. It included a proposal to gradually introduce a ‘solar-ready’ obligation for new buildings. Such provisions were included in the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, introducing obligations for new buildings to be solar-ready. For existing public buildings, solar will need to be gradually installed from 2027, where technically, economically and functionally feasible

More about solar energy in buildings

EU large-scale skills partnership 

This partnership was launched in March 2023 following its announcement in the Solar Strategy. It aims to address the skills gap in the EU and promotes the development of a skilled workforce in the renewable energy sector. Current bottlenecks in the workforce will become an opportunity for new green jobs, driving the clean energy transition. 

EU Solar PV Industry Alliance

The European Solar PV Industry Alliance was launched by the Commission together with industrial actors, research institutes, associations and other relevant parties on 9 December 2022 to support the objectives of the EU's Solar Energy Strategy.

The alliance is a forum for stakeholders in the sector focused on ensuring investment opportunities and helping to diversify supply chains, retain more value in Europe and deliver efficient and sustainable solar PV products. It also offers policy input towards reducing Europe's risk of supply disruptions and supporting the domestic industry.

Alongside the REPowerEU plan, the Commission also introduced measures on permitting processes for renewable energy projects, which are reflected in the revised Renewable Energy Directive EU/2023/2413. These new legal provisions will contribute to accelerating solar energy deployment in the EU.

European Solar Charter

In the margins of the informal Energy Council meeting on 15 April 2024, energy ministers from 23 EU countries, industry representatives and Commissioner Kadri Simson, on behalf of the Commission, signed a European Solar Charter. It set out a series of voluntary actions to be taken to support the EU photovoltaic manufacturing sector.  

The Charter is part of the Commission’s actions to support solar panel manufacturing in Europe, with several actions already implemented and further progress underway. 

European Solar Charter

Photovoltaics

Photovoltaics is a method of generating electric power by using solar cells to convert energy from the sun into electricity. These cells are assembled into solar panels and then installed on the ground, rooftops or floating on dams or lakes. The EU funds many solar cell projects, such as the PERTPV project, in which perovskite-based materials were used to build a new type of solar cell. 

Solar photovoltaics are the fastest growing energy source in the EU and offer a cheap, clean and flexible form of electricity generation. Their use is increasing worldwide, and year after year, photovoltaics make up a larger share of the EU’s energy mix. In 2025, photovoltaic electricity accounted for 13% of the EU’s gross electricity output, according to Ember. 

Continued growth in the solar energy sector is expected in the coming decades, driven by both large-scale installations and increased self-consumption based on rooftop photovoltaic installations. Solar contributes to reducing electricity prices, giving the EU a competitive advantage and helping to drive economic growth and job creation. 

Jobs and a skilled workforce

The rapid growth of solar energy means that Europe could see more than 900 000 solar workers by 2029, according to the EU Solar Jobs Report 2025 by SolarPower Europe. 

As part of the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act to boost the manufacturing of net-zero technologies in Europe, the European Solar Academy was launched in June 2024. Its purpose is to develop learning content and programmes together with the industry, to ensure sufficient skills and workforce in the value chain and aiming to train 100 000 workers over 3 years.  

Concentrated solar power

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants use mirrors to concentrate sunlight and produce heat and steam to generate electricity. They can be coupled with heat storage technologies to produce electricity both day and night.  

About 2.3 GW of concentrated solar power has been installed in the EU since 2013, but most new projects take place outside of the EU. 

Solar thermal technologies

Solar thermal technologies harness the sun's heat and are primarily used to heat water and spaces in buildings, can provide steam for industry, or even air conditioning and cooling. The main advantage of solar thermal is that it is cheap, predictable and does not rely on any fuel. 

The EU has a strong manufacturing base for solar thermal technologies, which can be deployed across most European regions. They are a particularly good option in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, where solar thermal heat is often the cheapest option to replace fossil-fuel heating. 

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