Wind and solar generation accounted for a record 30.1pc of EU electricity last year, surpassing fossil fuels' 29pc share for the first time, think-tank Ember's latest European electricity report shows.
Record growth in solar output drove the increase, reaching 369TWh in 2025, up by over 20pc on the year. Coal-fired generation fell to a new historic low last year, accounting for less than 10pc of the EU power mix. But weaker hydro output last year drove an increase in gas-fired generation in 15 of the 27 EU countries, leading to price spikes in power markets.
The EU remains exposed to LNG dependency on the US, threatening security of supply in the region, despite having agreed to ban gas imports from Russia by the end of 2027. Focusing on battery energy storage systems (Bess) and demand flexibility can tackle the issue and stabilise prices through time shifting, the report said.
Bess could cover a quarter of Italian evening peak demand by 2030
Italy is one of the Bess leaders in the EU, with a 6.4GW pipeline hosting about 1.9GW of large batteries.
And 10GW of new Bess projects are currently under construction or have already been authorised.
Large-scale Bess in Italy discharged an average of 1.1GW over 19:00-20:00 last September, covering just 3pc of electricity demand in that hour, compared with a 52pc share for fossil fuels. Total battery capacity could increase nearly sixfold as new projects come on line. This increased capacity could enable batteries to supply a larger share of peak-hour demand, helping to reduce the country's dependence on gas-fired generation and lower wholesale prices.
Italian batteries could contribute to 22pc of the country's evening peak demand by 2030 if its pipeline progresses at the same rate as California's did in the past four years.
