How green is the electricity for charging?

The EU's electricity was 49.9% renewable in 2025. Charging can follow hourly renewable data, drivers can choose green tariffs, and public operators state whether a charger's electricity is 100% renewable.

Explained in

Energy and grid integration · Stop 07Where does the electricity for charging come from?The EU grid mix, green tariffs and the data that shows renewable shares by the hour: what can be said about the origin of charging electricity.
  • At public chargers, AFIR requires operators to publish, as dynamic data, whether the electricity supplied is 100% renewable.
  • For the grid, RED III requires transmission operators to publish the share of renewable electricity and its emissions content per bidding zone, in intervals of no more than one hour, readable also by charge points.
From “Data by the hour”, stop 07

Terms

  1. AFIRAlternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (EU) 2023/1804: EU rules for public charging, from payment to coverage.
  1. Can the grid handle electric cars?Nationally, EVs used about 1% of the world's electricity in 2025. Locally, the issue is timing: spread into the night, most charging fits existing grids.
  2. Is charging cheaper at night?With a dynamic contract, often yes, and also around midday on sunny days. Prices move every quarter hour; a controller can pick the cheapest slots before departure.
  3. Can I charge my car with solar panels?Yes, from the surplus the house does not use. Cars need a minimum of about 1.4 kW on one phase or 4.1 kW on three, so wallboxes that switch phases follow the sun best.
  4. How is a dynamic electricity price made up?The day-ahead price of the quarter hour, plus grid fees, levies and taxes and the supplier's margin, which do not move, plus VAT on the sum. In the deep dive, 7.0 ct wholesale at 2 AM became 27.7 ct retail.
  1. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 5 and 20. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
  2. EUR-Lex: Directive (EU) 2023/2413 (RED III), Article 20a inserted into Directive (EU) 2018/2001. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/2413/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.