The European Union stands at a decisive moment in its energy transition.

With less than five years remaining to achieve its 2030 climate and energy targets, we face a significant gap between ambition and delivery. At the same time, the war in the Middle East has brought to the surface once again what many had tried to push aside in a very short time since the first energy crisis in this decade: our persistently high exposure to fossil fuels continues to undermine industrial competitiveness, energy affordability, and energy security. In this context, the question is no longer whether we need to accelerate the energy transition, but how.

The question is no longer whether we need to accelerate the energy transition, but how — and Solar+ provides a clear and immediate pathway forward

This report, Solar+: An EU pathway to achieve renewable targets, price affordability, and energy security, provides a clear and evidence-based answer. It demonstrates that scaling up solar power and battery storage, as the cheapest and most versatile forms of power generation, offers the most effective and immediate pathway to deliver on all three pillars of the energy trilemma: sustainability, affordability, and security.

This analysis – modelled by SolarPower Europe’s prime market research partner, Rystad, Energy and authored by our market intelligence team – compares a business-as-usual trajectory with a more ambitious Solar+ scenario. The findings are unequivocal: accelerating solar and storage deployment can set the EU power system in alignment with its 2030 renewable energy goals, significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuels. In doing so, solar + battery storage not only supports the EU’s climate objectives. It also delivers tangible economic benefits: halving power system operating costs, lowering wholesale electricity prices significantly, and reducing price volatility for consumers and industry alike.

The report identifies a sweet spot where consumers benefit from lower average prices, while preserving the business case for large-scale solar investments, which has become increasingly unattractive as more frequent negative price-hour events decrease the value of solar power. Despite the expansion in variable renewables, the occurrence of negative pricing hours does not increase and wholesale day-ahead electricity prices are reduced.

Key is the contribution to reducing Europe’s energy dependence in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment. By replacing imported fossil fuels with domestically produced renewable electricity, solar PV already delivers substantial savings – in the two months since the start of the Middle East war, solar has saved 8.5 billion EUR on gas imports. Under the higher ambition pathway, these savings could exceed 50 billion EUR per year by 2030. At a time when several policy leaders still count on fossil fuels in the medium term, it needs to be emphasised: Solar+ is not only a climate solution, it is an economic and strategic imperative for the EU.

However, realising this fast track requires decisive policy action. The report highlights that the main barriers are no longer technological, but structural and regulatory. To unlock the full potential of solar + storage, Europe must adopt a comprehensive flexibility-first approach to its energy system. This includes establishing an EU Flexibility Strategy, supported by a dedicated Battery Storage Action Plan, to ensure that storage and demand-side flexibility are fully integrated into market design, grid planning, and investment frameworks. As the analysis shows, battery storage is the key enabler of a high-renewables EU energy system, allowing solar power to be shifted in time, stabilising prices, and enhancing system efficiency.

With the EU’s share of electrification having not increased for several years, it is clear that electrification in all sectors must be significantly accelerated. An ambitious and coordinated EU Electrification Action Plan is needed to align price signals, infrastructure development, and regulatory frameworks, making renewable electricity easy to deploy and the most competitive choice across industry, transport, and buildings. This also requires addressing distortions that continue to favour fossil fuels, while ensuring that the benefits of the transition are shared broadly across society.

Solar+ shows that the European Union has within reach a brighter energy future. With the right policy frameworks, what is often perceived as a long-term transformation, can deliver substantial benefits already within this decade. The opportunity is clear: by accelerating solar + storage today, Europe can secure its energy system for tomorrow – cleaner, cheaper, and more secure.

Solar+: An EU pathway to achieve renewable targets, price affordability, and energy security

5 May 2026