Solar power plants in the European Union have reduced the bloc’s natural gas imports by EUR 20 billion since the start of the war in the Middle East, according to SolarPower Europe.
Electricity production from the EU’s photovoltaic fleet is breaking records month by month, saving money on gas imports. The cost of the EU’s gas purchases has risen due to the energy crisis driven by war’s impact on prices.
According to SolarPower Europe, between March 1 and July 15, solar installations across the EU avoided the purchase of billions of cubic meters of imported gas, reinforcing Europe’s energy security while shielding consumers from higher fossil fuel costs.
Over the 137-day period, solar delivered average savings of EUR 146 million per day, the organization’s analysis showed.
Solar power provided a quarter of EU electricity this June
This is more than France spends on defence each day, reflecting the growing value of secure, homegrown energy, SolarPower Europe added.
France’s 2025 defence budget amounts to EUR 52.3 billion, or around EUR 143 million per day. However, SolarPower Europe did not disclose the total gas bill of the EU.
Photovoltaic plants all over Europe are maximising their production. June 2026 was the hottest registered June in western Europe and the second-warmest globally.
For the first month ever, solar power provided a quarter of EU electricity this June, Ember calculated.
Solar was the EU’s largest single source of power in June
Solar generated a record 52 TWh of EU electricity in June 2026, making up 25% of monthly generation for the bloc. This beat solar’s previous monthly high of 47 TWh (23%) in May 2026, the trade body added.
Solar was the EU’s largest single source of power for the month, ahead of nuclear (21%), gas (15%), wind (14%) and hydro (12%), as coal generated just 8%. This is only the third time that solar has been the EU’s largest source of power, together with June 2025 and May 2026, Ember stressed.
Record solar output across Europe coincided with relatively high summer power demand, driven partially by demand for cooling.
Hemetsberger: Solar makes Europe safer
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, noted that every megawatt-hour generated by solar power reduces dependence on imported fossil fuels and makes Europe safer.
This news follows solar becoming the EU’s largest single source of electricity in June, supplying 25% of the bloc’s power, she added. It’s a demonstration of the returns on Europe’s investment in abundant, homegrown renewable energy resources, in her view.
“We can go further and faster. Deeper electrification, more renewable generation, and non-fossil flexibility solutions such as battery storage are the answer. Combined, they can shield Europe from the risk of future fossil fuel price shocks, and that’s the route to long-term energy security in the EU”, Hemetsberger pointed out.
