SolarPower Europe’s new report, “Mission Solar 2040: Europe’s Flexibility Revolution”, maps out three scenarios through the coming decades; solar-as-usual (SAU), solar + flexibility (SF), and solar + flexibility + electrification (SFE). Compared to SAU, the SFE scenario reduces curtailment – solar energy wasted – by 66% in 2030 and 49% in 2040. The more efficient utilization of solar energy leads to gains across the economy.

With a flexible, electrified system, more solar can be added to the grid. By the end of this decade, the EU could reach 1.2 TW of solar, much higher than the 750 GW EU Solar Strategy goal. By 2040, the EU could host 2.4 TW of solar, meeting 39% of the bloc’s growing power demand.

To deliver the new energy system, the Mission Solar 2040 report recommends the incoming EU leadership:

• Set EU targets for renewables and flexibility for 2030 and 2040. Flexibility targets do not exist today, explaining the lack of political oversight and progress on that front.
• Improve energy system modelling capacities, by strengthening the Agency for European Regulators (ACER) and by setting up a new EU Energy Agency to reinforce energy system forecasting.
• Unlock investment in flexibility across the energy system, primarily by ensuring full implementation of agreed electricity market legislation.
• Adopt an EU Electrification Action and Investment Plan within the first 100 days of the next Commission’s mandate.

“It is time to take the next step in energy transition”, said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe. “We need a flexibility revolution, surrounding renewables with grids, storage and electrification. The new political cycle is an opportunity to build the new energy transition agenda. We call on EU leaders to implement the existing electricity market regulation, set new targets for renewables and flexibility to 2040 and adopt an EU electrification action and investment plan as soon as possible.”

According to SolarPower Europe, flexibility is the ability of a consumer, electricity generator, or any other technology (like storage) to adjust how they feed in electricity to the grid, or consume electricity from the grid in response to grid needs or solar availability. Flexibility means less investment is needed for slow-to-build grid infrastructure. We also need to focus on the efficient and smart operation of grids with smart electrified resources.

Electrification means building an energy system on the principal of electricity – rather than combustion. So induction cookers rather than gas hobs, and vehicles that run on electricity, rather than diesel and other fossil fuels. Today, 24% of Europe’s energy system is electrified. We should reach at least 60% electrification in the EU by 2050 to achieve climate neutrality.

CEO of SolarPower Europe, Walburga Hemetsberger, spoke when presenting “Mission Solar 2040”. The report was launched in Brussels at recording in partnership with Euronews and Iberdrola. You can watch the recording here.