EU renewable transition faces gaps in planning for innovative technologies, expert says

Shortcomings in planning and implementation are emerging in the European Union’s renewable energy transition, with only a limited number of member states outlining clear strategies to integrate innovative technologies, an academic assessment shows.

Professor Mehmet Ozgur Kayalica of Istanbul Technical University’s Energy Institute said the EU’s target to allocate at least 5% of new renewable electricity capacity to innovative technologies between 2025 and 2030 is unevenly addressed across countries.

“Only 7 out of 10 countries explicitly address this target, and just 4 of them provide an operational framework for how it will be implemented,” Kayalica told Anadolu.

The assessment is based on The 5% Opportunity: Unlocking Europe's Innovative Renewables, a report by Germany-based think tank Future Cleantech Architects, which reviewed national plans from Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain, and the Netherlands.

The report found that full implementation of the 5% target could prevent around 21 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions between 2023 and 2030, roughly equal to the annual emissions of more than 55 natural gas power plants.

Kayalica said the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) aims to raise the share of renewables in total energy consumption to at least 42.5% by 2030, and preferably 45%, covering sectors including heating, transport, industry and buildings, as well as renewable hydrogen and permitting processes.

Lack of clarity hampers implementation

Kayalica said the main obstacle is not political will but a lack of clarity in definitions, financing, methodology and monitoring.

“The report underlines the risk that the 5% target may remain on paper,” he said. “The issue is not the existence of the target, but that it has been left undefined, unmeasured, and with weak governance.”

He said countries need to define what qualifies as “innovative,” establish incentive and tender mechanisms, and accelerate grid and permitting processes.

The report highlights a broad range of technologies beyond conventional solar and wind, including concentrated solar power, perovskite and organic photovoltaics, advanced geothermal systems, wave and tidal energy, ocean-based solutions and airborne wind.

Despite strong rhetoric on innovation, Kayalica said national plans lack common definitions, calculation methods and monitoring frameworks.

“This is not a symbolic ratio, but a threshold that could create a new generation clean technology market,” Kayalica said, adding that more than 25 gigawatts of innovative capacity across the 10 countries by 2030 could boost investment, reduce costs and strengthen energy security.

Beyond 2030 targets

Kayalica warned that meeting 2030 targets alone will not ensure readiness for longer-term goals.

While existing technologies can deliver near-term emissions cuts, he said a broader mix will be needed by 2040 and 2050, including solutions for system flexibility, long-duration storage, seasonal balancing and decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors.

“Three axes are now operating simultaneously in the global energy system: security, price, and climate. Innovative renewables sit exactly at the intersection of these three axes,” Kayalica said.

He added that scaling such technologies could lower costs over time, diversify supply and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, underscoring that renewable investment is now also a matter of geostrategic resilience.

*Writing by Asiye Latife Yilmaz