Solar photovoltaics capacity installed per inhabitant in the EU-27 2023, by country

At 1,342.1 watts per inhabitant, the Netherlands had the highest installed solar PV capacity per capita in 2023. This was followed by Germany and Belgium at approximately 974.3 and 745.1 watts per inhabitant, respectively. Since 2017 the solar PV capacity installed and connected across the EU increased annually, with 32.8 gigawatts added in 2022.

Solar electricity production on the rise

 Electricity production from solar PV has increased annually in recent years, and by 2022 had reached 205,156 gigawatt-hours. In terms of production, Germany is the leading country in the EU and in 2022 it pushed its output to roughly 60 TWh. This was more than the combined production of Italy and Spain, who were the next biggest producers.

Renewable energy generation

 In 2021, solar power’s share of renewable electricity generation across the EU was 15.2 percent, which represents a slight increase when compared to the previous year. Since 2013, the share of solar in power generation in the EU increased by roughly five percent. In comparison, wind power shares increased from 22.7 percent to 37.6 percent during this period.