What European country generates the most electricity from renewable sources?

Sweden was the European country with the highest percentage of electricity sourced from renewable sources in 2022, with 83.3% of its electricity primarily powered by hydro and wind energies, according to Eurostat data.

Denmark follows closely in second place, relying mostly on wind energy, with 77.2% of its energy generated from renewable sources. Austria ranks third, generating 74.7% of its energy from renewable sources, primarily from hydro sources.

Shares exceeding 50% were also recorded in Portugal (61.0%), Croatia (55.5%), Latvia (53.3%), and Spain (50.9%).

The lowest shares of electricity from renewable sources were reported in Malta (10.1%), Hungary (15.3%), Czechia (15.5%), and Luxembourg (15.9%).

Gross energy consumption

Renewable energy sources accounted for 41.2% of the gross energy consumption of the European Union in 2022. This marks a notable increase of 3.4 percentage points compared to the previous year, where renewables stood at 37.8%.

This figure surpasses other electricity sources significantly, including nuclear (less than 22%), gas (less than 20%), and coal (less than 17%).

Wind and hydropower

In 2022, wind and hydropower collectively accounted for over two-thirds of the total electricity generated from renewable sources in the European Union, with wind contributing 37.5% and hydropower 29.9%.

The remaining one-third of renewable electricity generation comprised solar power (18.2%), solid biofuels (6.9%), and other renewable sources (7.5%). Notably, solar power has seen remarkable growth, starting from just 1% of the EU’s electricity consumption in 2008.

Overall, renewable energy sources experienced a significant 5.7% increase from 2021 to 2022, as indicated by the data.