![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.euronews.com\/website\/images\/logos\/logo-euronews-stacked-outlined-72x72-grey-9.svg\"){kind=logo}
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
German households pay around a third more for electricity than the EU average, despite the country’s impressive efforts to ditch fossil fuels. <\/p>\n
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
According to energy think tank Ember, Germany is one of the \u201cglobal leaders\u201d for wind and solar energy<\/a> deployment, with 59 per cent of its electricity coming from clean sources in 2025.<\/p>\n Since the introduction of its landmark renewable energy law (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz) in 2000, the country\u2019s share of generation from wind and solar alone has skyrocketed from less than two per cent to almost 45 per cent last year. <\/p>\n At the same time, coal \u2013 which is often described as the \u2018dirtiest\u2019 form of energy \u2013 fell from supplying more than half of Germany\u2019s electricity to just 21 per cent. <\/p>\n \u201cGermany generated more electricity from wind and solar in 2025 than any other EU member and accounted for more than a quarter of the bloc\u2019s total wind and solar generation,\u201d Ember states<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, new analysis from energy firm 1KOMMA5\u00b0 suggests that Germany still grapples with one of the highest electricity prices within the EU. <\/p>\n The solution? More renewables.<\/p>\n EU electricity prices ranked<\/p>\n Using Eurostat data on electricity prices for the second half of 2025, 1KOMMA5\u00b0<\/a> calculates that the EU average comes out at \u20ac0.29 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) including taxes and levies \u2013 but in Germany, households pay an average of \u20ac0.39\/kWh. <\/p>\n For a typical single household (consuming 1,500 kWh), Germany\u2019s high electricity prices mean households will be paying around \u20ac150 per year compared to the EU average \u2013 or an additional \u20ac500 for a family with a 5,000 kWh electricity consumption.<\/p>\n However, it is Ireland, which officially ended coal power<\/a> generation in 2025, that tops the leaderboard, with electricity prices at a sky-high \u20ac0.40\/kWh.<\/p>\n Below are the full EU rankings:<\/p>\n Ireland: \u20ac0.40 Why is Germany\u2019s electricity price so high?<\/p>\n Despite Germany\u2019s renewables boom, the price of electricity remains tied to volatile fossil fuels due to what is known as the merit order principle. This ensures that electricity prices are based on the most expensive power plant still needed to meet demand.<\/p>\n So, if Germany\u2019s electricity needs cannot be covered solely by clean energy, more expensive (and polluting) sources such as coal or gas step in. <\/p>\n Adding more renewables can tackle this problem, as proven in Spain \u2013 where wind and solar growth have reduced the influence of fossil generators on the electricity price by 75 per cent since 2019.<\/p>\n While Spain had a similar share of electricity from wind and solar as Germany in 2025, other clean sources such as hydropower and nuclear, have significantly reduced its reliance on fossil fuels. Last year, clean energy made up 75 per cent of Spain\u2019s electricity mix, compared to 59 per cent in Germany. <\/p>\n However, the broader context is critical. According to Montel\u2019s Clean Power Progress report<\/a>, Germany\u2019s power mix has undergone a huge transformation following its nuclear phaseout.<\/p>\n In 2022, nuclear generation \u2013 which is often categorised as clean energy despite environmental concerns around harmful waste \u2013 contributed to 6.6 per cent of Germany\u2019s total power production.<\/p>\n \u201cRemoving that source of firm, low-carbon power created a sizable gap that needed to be filled quickly, either by fossil generation or by accelerating renewables,” the report states.<\/p>\n Following its rapid growth in wind and solar, experts say that Germany\u2019s \u201crenewed momentum\u201d could become clearer in 2026, as fossil displacement continues to compete with demand. <\/p>\n Why does Germany waste clean energy?<\/p>\n But as Jannik Schall, co-founder of 1KOMMA5\u00b0, points out: \u201cGermany does not have too much cheap wind and solar power, but too little flexibility in the system.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, Germany spent \u20ac435 billion euros on renewable energy curtailment<\/a>. This involves intentionally shutting down electricity production in areas of oversupply and ramping up supply elsewhere.<\/p>\n Compensation payments are given to suppliers who cannot feed their electricity into the country\u2019s energy grid, and balancing payments are given to producers needed to close the supply gap. <\/p>\n Curtailment frequently occurs when a country sees ideal conditions for solar and wind (such as sunny, windy days) resulting in more electricity being produced than the grid can handle. When supply outstrips demand, this can result in negative energy prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n Solving this issue is no easy feat, as Europe\u2019s energy grid was never designed with the renewables boom in mind \u2013 and is instead set up for centrally-located plants. This means that wind and solar energy, which tend to be produced in remote areas, often can\u2019t get to homes and offices.<\/p>\n Battery energy storage systems (BESS) have been touted as a silver bullet to fix this problem, and can help prevent huge amounts of clean energy from being wasted. <\/p>\n
\nGermany: \u20ac0.39
\nBelgium: \u20ac0.35
\nDenmark: \u20ac0.33
\nAustria: \u20ac0.33
\nCzechia: \u20ac0.32
\nItaly: \u20ac0.30
\nRomania: \u20ac0.29
\nCyprus: \u20ac0.28
\nSweden: \u20ac0.27
\nPoland: \u20ac0.27
\nSpain: \u20ac0.27
\nLuxembourg: \u20ac0.27
\nFrance: \u20ac0.26
\nNetherlands: \u20ac0.26
\nLatvia: \u20ac0.25
\nPortugal: \u20ac0.24
\nGreece: \u20ac0.24
\nEstonia: \u20ac0.23
\nFinnland: \u20ac0.23
\nSlovenia: \u20ac0.21
\nLithuania: \u20ac0.20
\nSlovakia: \u20ac0.19
\nCroatia: \u20ac0.17
\nBulgaria: \u20ac0.14
\nMalta: \u20ac0.13
\nHungary: \u20ac0.11<\/p>\n