European Countries Cut Tens of Billions of Euros of Fossil Fuel Imports from Wind & Solar Power Growth

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, European countries have sharply increased their use of wind and solar power, and it's paying off. New data show that wind and solar made up 30% of the European Union's electricity supply in 2025, up from 19% in 2021. That growth pushed out coal and gas power plants: gas-fired electricity fell 15% over the same period, and coal-fired electricity fell 38%. By 2025, wind and solar together generated more electricity than coal, gas, and oil combined.

The bigger financial story is what this avoided. Because the EU built out wind and solar faster after the invasion, it sidestepped buying an estimated €72 billion worth of fossil fuel imports between 2022 and 2025, most of it in gas. Germany, Spain, and Italy saved the most. In short, the faster shift to renewable power meant European countries spent tens of billions of euros less on imported coal, gas, and oil than they otherwise would have.

This is a European Union story, not a U.S. policy or rebate update, so it does not point to any new program or deadline for American homeowners. But it does show, at a national scale, the same basic math that applies to a single house: energy that comes from wind or solar on your own roof or from a cleaner grid is energy you are not buying as imported fuel, and that can add up to real savings over time.