Yesterday, SolarPower Europe submitted its position paper to the European Commission"s Call for Evidence on the Revision of the EU Energy Security Framework".
The paper calls for a comprehensive strategy to strengthen Europe"s energy resilience that moves beyond fossil fuel supply and builds energy security on solar, storage, flexibility and electrification. Dries Acke, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe (he/him): SEurope"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.
Solar power and battery energy storage systems (BESS) already play a decisive role in safeguarding Europe"s power supply, saving about 29 billion in fossil fuel imports in the summer of 2022 alone .
By accelerating solar, storage, and flexibility solutions, Europe can permanently reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels thereby protecting its consumers from price volatility.
To strengthen Europe"s energy security, we must also: 1.
Unlock the full potential of renewables for grid stability, ensuring that solar, batteries, and inverters are allowed to provide flexible power, balancing and grid stability services, replacing fossil fuels in their traditional roles. 2.
Establish a robust EU cybersecurity framework to protect distributed energy systems and inverters, including strong harmonised standards, strict remote-control limitations and EU data storage requirements. 3.
Build resilience against economic and climate shocks, by investing in a flexible, decarbonised renewables-based system that shields citizens from volatile energy prices and supports agriculture and biodiversity through solutions like agrisolar and floating PV.
Anchoring Europe"s energy security strategy in renewables, electrification and flexibility is the safest way to protect citizens, strengthen competitiveness, and meet our climate goals.
The energy transition is accelerating; our energy security framework must adapt." Notes:
- The European Commission is preparing a revision of the "EU Energy Security Framework", expected in early 2026.
- SolarPower Europe"s position paper identifies key vulnerabilities in Europe"s current energy system, including fossil fuel dependency, cybersecurity risks, and supply chain concentration and proposes practical pathways to address them.
- Read the full paper here.