BRUSSELS, Belgium (01 September 2026): Solar power has saved Europe more than €30 billion in avoided gas imports in the six months since the outbreak of the Iran War.
Savings accelerated during this summer as higher volumes of solar power became available and fossil fuel prices climbed.
This summer's heatwaves and droughts reduced the efficiency of, or even shut down, some thermal power plants. Reduced reservoir levels limited hydropower output while low cooling water levels affected nuclear generation. At the same time, the extreme heat increased the demand for air conditioning. Power prices spiked. The burden on Europe’s citizens and businesses rose.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, said: “Solar has been delivering huge financial benefits for Europe since the latest fossil fuel crisis in the Middle East began. The Iran War deepened the turmoil in energy markets generated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A dependency on the flow of oil and gas is clearly a risky energy strategy. Pipelines and shipping lanes have repeatedly proven vulnerable to disruption. This is not a hole the fossil fuel sector can drill us out of. The solution is above us and Europe must grab it with both hands.”
Notes:
- SolarPower Europe has been monitoring the daily savings generation by Europe’s solar fleet through avoided gas imports. You can read our initial report, including details of our methodology here.
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