Ember, energy think tank, presents Greece as the new leader in solar energy in its latest analysis of the progress of energy transition in Europe, with Greece now producing 19% of its electricity from solar energy.
Insights from the energy think tank attribute Greece’s success to rapid capacity growth since 2019, adding 1.4 GW in 2022 and 1.7 GW in 2023. Feed-in tariffs for small photovoltaic systems, until 2022’s end, streamlined processes and supported the Energy Market Agreement.
In 2023, Greece led in solar energy with 19%, followed by Hungary at 18% and Spain at 17%, surpassing the EU average of 9.1%.
Several examples showcase reliable renewable power systems. Greece operated solely on renewables for 5 hours in October 2022 and extended this to 87 consecutive hours in July 2023, reaching 84% renewables. Portugal demonstrated even greater sustainability, operating solely on renewables for 6 consecutive days in November 2023.
In June 2023, Poland hit 67% renewable energy during peak domestic demand, exceeding the 50% mark. Meanwhile, the Netherlands had about 140 hours in June where solar and wind exceeded total electricity demand. Germany met all energy demand with renewables for six days in December.
