Nordic Sustainability Briefing — 31 July 2026
Europe's clean-energy build-out continued to accelerate in 2025, with record solar output and EV sales joined by fresh analysis on freeing up grid capacity for more renewables — even as the EEA warns that decades of climate-related losses have topped EUR 790 billion, much of it uninsured.
Ember: Europe could unlock 25 GW of clean power using existing grid connections
Energy think tank Ember published analysis on 21 July 2026 arguing that Europe can add clean generation capacity by making better use of existing grid connections rather than building new infrastructure. Grid access remains a key bottleneck for renewable deployment across the continent.
EU quarterly reports show record 2025 solar generation and EV sales
The Commission's latest quarterly market reports, published 6 July 2026, confirm that solar generation hit a record 275 TWh in 2025, up 18%, with renewable capacity additions near 70 GW. EV sales reached a record 2.89 million units in the EU in 2025, up 31% on 2024 and nearly triple 2019 levels.
EEA puts EU weather- and climate-related losses above EUR 790 billion since 1980
An updated EEA briefing found that total economic losses from weather- and climate-related events exceeded EUR 790 billion across EEA-38 member and collaborating countries between 1980 and 2023. Most countries reported that over half of their losses were uninsured, widening the gap between total and insured losses.