Recommendations for the revised Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan of the EU

New EU study highlights how Member States can scale up renewable energy through smarter spatial planning, stronger public engagement, and innovative land-use solutions.

Introduction

Ecorys and WIP Renewable Energie have supported the revision of the SET Plan, which recognises that the successful deployment of clean energy technologies depends not only on technological innovation but also on the wider conditions that enable innovation to reach society and the market. To address these challenges, the project conducted the following workstreams:

Analysis of key EU policy developments;

Mobilisation of SET Plan actors into Task Forces to develop ‘cross-cutting’ recommendations;

Onboarding activities for new members to the SET Plan community;

Communication and dissemination activities.

A key output was the development of actionable recommendations that are ‘cross-cutting’ across SET Plan technologies.

Background

The 2023 Communication on the ‘Revised Strategic Energy Technology Plan’ intended to strengthen the contribution of research and innovation to the EU’s clean energy transition, while responding to evolving geopolitical, industrial and policy challenges. As the SET Plan expands its role in supporting the European Green Deal and related policy initiatives such as the Net-Zero Industry Act and Critical Raw Materials Act, additional operational, analytical and coordination support is required to ensure the SET Plan stays aligned with evolving European ambitions.

Key Findings

Through stakeholder engagement, policy analysis, consultations and expert collaboration, five Task Forces developed 29 actionable recommendations that are ‘cross-cutting’ across SET Plan technologies.

Circularity and Materials Substitution: Recommendations aim to embed circularity across the lifecycle of clean energy technologies by developing common design principles, harmonised assessment methods and indicators, accelerating material substitution, strengthening recycling and recovery systems, and creating stronger markets for circular materials and components.

Research and Innovation for Societal Needs: Recommendations aim to ensure that the development and deployment of clean energy technologies are better aligned with societal needs by strengthening stakeholder engagement, improving affordability and accessibility, supporting a just transition, promoting fair distribution of costs and benefits, and maximising synergies between energy systems, communities, land uses and other sectors.

Digitalisation: Recommendations aim to accelerate the digitalisation of Europe’s energy system by establishing interoperable data infrastructures and energy data spaces, improving data sharing and standardisation, expanding access to high-value energy datasets, strengthening cybersecurity and cyber resilience, and enabling secure, data-driven innovation across clean energy technologies and sectors.

Skills: Recommendations aim to strengthen the energy workforce needed for Europe’s clean energy transition by modernising education and training, embedding digital and interdisciplinary skills, expanding upskilling and reskilling opportunities, improving the recognition and portability of qualifications, and attracting a broader and more diverse pool of talent to clean energy careers.

Access to the Market: Recommendations aim to accelerate the market uptake and competitiveness of clean energy technologies by reducing regulatory and financial barriers, strengthening innovation and testing ecosystems, improving engagement with investors and financial institutions, and promoting the systematic sharing of successful approaches for scaling innovations across Europe.

The recommendations are relevant for the European Commission as well as SET Plan the dedicated stakeholder groups – which represent industry (European Technology Innovation Platforms), Member States (Implementation Working Groups) and academia (European Energy Research Alliance). Going forward, the recommendations will need to be integrated into the formal working documents of these stakeholder groups.

The executive summary and full recommendations (including details of WHAT? WHY? HOW? WHO?) can be accessed here.