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Europe Energy Transition - Sectors and Companies Driving Development - 2025

Publisher GlobalData
Published Aug 04, 2025
Length 40 Pages
SKU # GBDT20321207

Description

Europe Energy Transition - Sectors and Companies Driving Development - 2025

Summary

Europe’s energy transition is accelerating, with strong policy support driving record renewable growth, EV adoption, and emerging low-carbon hydrogen and CCUS activity. Despite momentum, the EU remains off track for 2030 climate goals due to slow progress in fossil phaseout, permitting delays, and investment barriers. This report delivers a clear overview of key technologies, policies, and market leaders shaping the region’s clean energy landscape.

Europe’s energy transition is advancing at pace, driven by ambitious policy targets, record renewable additions, and a strong investment pipeline. Yet, despite this momentum, the EU remains off track to meet its 2030 climate goals. By 2025, renewables will account for 58% of Europe’s power mix, with wind and solar leading growth. However, Europe as a whole is expected to exceed 50% renewable generation only by 2030. Energy storage is scaling fast, with capacity set to reach 85GW by 2030, while EV adoption continues to surge, backed by EU-wide targets for 100% zero-emission car sales by 2035. In transport, the EU’s SAF mandates are kicking in, requiring 2% blending by 2025 and scaling up through 2050, helping decarbonize the aviation industry. Europe remains a global leader in CCUS and low-carbon hydrogen project announcements. However, high costs, slow permitting, and ongoing policy uncertainty, especially around long-term price signals, pose barriers to final investment decisions. This report provides a comprehensive view of Europe’s transition technologies, policies, and project pipelines, offering critical insights for stakeholders navigating one of the world’s most active clean energy regions.

Key Highlights
  • In 2025, renewable technologies accounted for 58% of Europe’s total power capacity, with the share of renewable power generation projected to rise from 43% to 58% between 2025 and 2035. Nearly 100GW of thermal capacity is expected to be retired by 2035, but gas remains in the mix, with ~60GW of additions expected over the same period.
  • While several countries are making strong progress, Europe as a whole is not expected to surpass 50% renewable generation until 2030.
  • Europe’s energy storage capacity is expected to grow significantly, reaching almost 85GW by 2030, up from 25GW in 2025.
  • Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are projected to make up 82% of EU light vehicle sales by 2035.
  • SAFs are gaining traction, supported by mandates under the ReFuelEU Aviation, which requires SAFs to make up 70% of aviation fuel by 2050.
  • Europe is emerging as one of the most active regions globally for CCUS, expected to reach a maximum capture capacity of 311mpta by 2030.
  • Considering projects with start years up to 2030, Europe has the largest low-carbon hydrogen project pipeline globally, with 22mtpa of expected capacity by 2030, of which 37% is already in post-feasibility.
Scope
  • European climate targets, CO2 emissions, renewable energy potential, leaders in renewable energy, renewable energy policies, power consumption and demand, renewable power capacity and generation, decommissioning of thermal power, energy storage capacity, electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle sales, upcoming renewable refineries, biodiesel, ethanol, RD, SAFs, CCUS outlook, upcoming CCS projects, hydrogen policies, upcoming hydrogen capacity by stage, type and end use.
Reasons to Buy
  • Assess the current regional emissions, thermal and renewable capacity, and generation share, and identify which countries are driving the energy transition in Europe.
  • Identify market trends within the industry, including expected 2030 capacities for a range of technologies.
  • Identify who the leading countries and regional players are in renewable energy capacity and energy transition technologies such as hydrogen and CCUS.
  • Understand the legislative framework laid out by the region’s governments and the European Commission aimed at accelerating the region's race to net-zero by 2050.

Table of Contents

40 Pages
Executive Summary
Sector grid and European leaders
Power Outlook & Generation
Global vs European CO2 emissions
EU climate targets and policies
Power capacity share outlook
Power generation share outlook
European countries’ renewable generation share
Thermal power: decommissioning and emissions
Major players in renewable power
Energy Storage
European energy storage and transmission systems outlook
Europe’s largest upcoming energy storage projects and key policies
Electric Vehicles
European countries’ EV targets
Growth in BEV sales
Growth in charging infrastructure
Renewable Fuels
Renewable refineries
Renewable fuels outlook: RD
Renewable fuels outlook: SAFs
Renewable fuels outlook: Ethanol and FAME Biodiesel
Europe’s largest active and upcoming renewable refineries
CCUS
CCUS policies and funding
European CCUS outlook
European CCUS key facility industries
Europe’s largest active and upcoming carbon capture and storage projects
Hydrogen
Key hydrogen policies
European hydrogen capacity by development stage
European hydrogen capacity by type
Intended use sectors for low-carbon hydrogen
Europe’s largest active and upcoming hydrogen projects by 2030
List of Tables
Sector grid and leaders
Solar PV EPC providers and equipment manufacturers
Wind power EPC providers and equipment manufacturers
Europe’s largest upcoming energy storage projects
European countries’ zero-emission vehicle sales targets and policy updates
Europe’s largest active and upcoming renewable refineries
Europe’s largest active and upcoming carbon capture projects
Europe’s largest active and upcoming carbon storage projects
Europe’s largest active and upcoming hydrogen projects by 2030
List of Figures
Annual CO2 emissions by world region, 1990-2023
Europe power capacity share, 2015-2035
Europe total power capacity share by technology type, 2025
Europe total power capacity share by technology type, 2035
Europe power generation share, 2015-2035
Renewable power generation, 2015-2035
Key Europen countries' renewable power generation share, 2025-2035
Upcoming and decommissioning thermal capacity, 2025-2035
European CO2 emissions by thermal power, 1990-2023
Leading European players in solar PV capacity
Leading European players in wind power capacity
European energy storage capacity by technology, 2020-3030
Europe transmission investment, 2022-2027
European BEV sales forecast, 2020-2035
European BEV % of LV sales, 2020-3035
European sites with EV charging facilities in 2025
Active and upcoming renewable refineries by country
European renewable fuel expected 2030 capacity by refinery type
European active and upcoming RD capacity, 2020-2030
Top 10 European countries in RD production by expected 2030 capacity
European active and upcoming SAF capacity, 2020-2030
Top 10 European countries in SAF production by expected 2030 capacity
European Ethanol production capacity, 2020-2030
European FAME biodiesel production capacity, 2020-2030
Max expected 2030 capture capacity by region
Leading European countries by CCS capacity, 2020-2030
European share of top 10 CCUS facility industries by 2030
European top 10 facility industries by 2030 capacity
Leading regions for active and upcoming low-carbon hydrogen capacity up to 2030
European low-carbon hydrogen capacity by development stage, 2025-2030
Leading European countries for blue and green hydrogen expected 2030 capacity
Leading European countries for max blue and green hydrogen capacity by development stage
Electrolysis capacity targets in Northwest Europe by 2030
European target end-use sectors for low-carbon hydrogen

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