SolarPower Europe submitted the paper in response to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the “Revision of the EU Energy Security Framework”. The paper highlights key vulnerabilities in Europe’s current energy system, such as fossil fuel dependency, cybersecurity risks and supply chain concentration, and proposes practical pathways to address them. The European Commission is preparing a revision of the EU Energy Security Framework, expected in early 2026.
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Deincentivising fossil fuels
“Europe’s energy security strategy must evolve with its energy system. Energy security policies can no longer incentivise fossil fuel storage or imports. It must be built on renewables, flexibility and electrification,” said Dries Acke, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe.
Solar power and battery energy storage systems (BESS) already play a decisive role in safeguarding Europe’s power supply, saving around €29 billion in fossil fuel imports in the summer of 2022 alone. Accelerating solar, storage and flexibility solutions will enable Europe to permanently reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels and protect consumers from price volatility.
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Strengthening Europe’s energy security
SolarPower Europe proposes the following measures:
– Unlock the full potential of renewables for grid stability by enabling solar, batteries and inverters to provide flexible power, balancing and grid stability services, replacing fossil fuels in these roles.
– Establish a robust EU cybersecurity framework to safeguard distributed energy systems and inverters, with strong harmonised standards, strict remote-control limitations and EU data storage requirements.
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– Build resilience against economic and climate shocks by investing in a flexible, decarbonised, renewables-based system that protects citizens from volatile energy prices and supports agriculture and biodiversity with solutions such as agrisolar and floating PV. (hcn)
