According to Eurostat’s provisional data for 2025, the share of renewable energy sources in the EU’s gross final energy consumption reached 26.2%. Compared with 25.2% in 2024 and 9.6% in 2004, when this statistic began being tracked, the figure shows steady growth.
“In simple terms, that means an ever-growing share of the energy we use day to day is ‘green’ energy,” explains energy expert Arturs Toms Plešs, CEO of Eurowind Energy Neue Energien. “Latvia ranks fourth in this table – behind Sweden, Finland and Denmark, and ahead of our neighbours Estonia (6th) and Lithuania (7th).”1
The results are even more impressive within the energy sector itself: according to current estimates, which may still be revised slightly, renewable energy sources accounted for 49.9% of the EU’s gross electricity consumption in 2025 – almost double the 2004 baseline level (15.9%) and 2.4 percentage points more than a year earlier.
“Why do the figures differ so much – 26.2% and 49.9%? How should we interpret them correctly? The thing is, this sector is the easiest and quickest to ‘green’: you can build wind farms and solar plants, which raises the share of ‘green’ energy in the overall electricity ‘pot’. Decarbonising home heating, and especially transport (aviation, heavy trucks, shipping), is far harder: gas, oil and coal still dominate there. That’s why the RES share in electricity is already approaching half, but in the overall figure – where transport and heating ‘drag the average down’ – it’s much more modest, just over a quarter on average across the EU. Incidentally, it’s precisely by renewable energy’s share of the overall energy mix that Latvia ranks 10th in the EU.”
It’s worth noting that the use of renewable energy sources in the EU’s heating and cooling systems continued to grow, reaching a 27.4% share in 2025. That’s the highest figure since the statistics began being tracked in 2004 (11.7%). Compared with 2024, the figure also rose slightly.
“This undeniably matters for the environment, especially during the kind of heatwaves that have covered Europe in recent summers,” notes A. T. Plešs.
Sweden (65.4%) remains the EU leader by renewable energy’s share of total energy consumption, relying mainly on solid biomass, hydropower and wind. It was followed by Finland at 53.0%, using solid biomass, wind energy and hydropower, ahead of Denmark at 48.2%, where renewable energy comes mainly from solid biomass, wind and biogas.
“The trend is unmistakable: countries that invested systematically in wind and solar ten or fifteen years ago are reaping the rewards today: cheap and cost-predictable electricity, a stable economy. That deserves attention, because expensive energy in the region, caused by dependence on Russia, became a cause of an acute industrial crisis in the EU. As a result we’re seeing a wave of layoffs in manufacturing, announced in recent weeks by industry leaders such as BMW, Porsche, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Bosch, HKM, ThyssenKrupp / ThyssenKrupp Steel, Aumovio and others,” the energy expert comments on the Eurostat data, adding: “If we want to stay resilient and compete for investment, energy costs are a cornerstone.”
About Eurowind Energy Neue Energien
Eurowind Energy Neue Energien is an international renewable electricity producer developing large-scale wind, solar and other green energy projects. The company was founded in 2006 and currently operates in 17 countries worldwide. The group manages renewable energy assets with a total capacity of 1,300 MW, while its portfolio of projects under development exceeds 58 GW, the company reports. In Latvia the company operates under the name SIA “EWE Neue Energien”.