Europe’s new renewable-energy champion is a surprise.

  The Economist27 August 2026
Europe likes to think of itself as a champion of renewable energy. In fact the rate of solar-power installation on the continent is plateauing. In 2025 the European Union added 67.2 gigawatts (GW) of new generating capacity, scarcely more than in the previous year.

Romania, however, is leading the EU in combining solar power and batteries.