Greece was among the top five renewable energy producers in the EU in the first half of 2023, while the solar energy market has experienced a period of significant growth in recent years, as a recent study from the energy think-tank Ember has shown.
A total of 17 EU member states achieved record RES energy-mix shares in the first half of 2023. RES output in Greece and Romania represented more than 50 percent of the overall energy production levels, unprecedented for both countries.
Denmark and Portugal achieved a significant milestone, with their renewable energy output surpassing the 75 percent mark for the first time, the Ember study revealed.
In another first, wind and solar energy output exceeded 30 percent of the EU’s overall energy production in May and June, according to the study.
As for newly installed RES capacity during the first half of 2023, compared to the equivalent period a year earlier, the Ember study showed an acceleration in RES penetration, particularly notable in the PV sector.
Following 2022’s record performance for PV installations in the EU, which totaled 33 GW, the momentum continued through the first half of 2023. Germany was the EU’s best performer, installing 6.5 GW of PV capacity during the first six months of this year, a 10 percent increase. Poland followed with 2 GW, a 17 percent increase, and Belgium ranked third with 1.2 GW, a 19 percent increase.
