Renewables

With another hot summer approaching, the EU is facing a new test of its energy transition: whether renewable electricity can translate into lower fossil fuel use, affordable heating and cooling, and homes that remain liveable in a warming climate. As Brussels prepares its Electrification Action Plan, journalist Seden Anlar explores how far electrification can go on its own.

At February’s Munich Security Conference, Merz, Macron, von der Leyen and Co. testified to Europe's strength and independence. But concrete, independent strategies are often lacking. Europe now has the opportunity to play to its own strengths, including in the area of energy independence and sustainability.

At the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Fukushima catastrophe, we presented a new analysis by researchers from the Technical University of Berlin discussing open questions in view of the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) in the EU.The European Commission has given SMRs a prominent place in its 2025 Affordable Energy Action Plan. However, given the long road of SMRs towards potential technology readiness and the assumed high costs of electricity generation, experts question if these projects would ever supply any meaningful quantity of electricity to businesses and consumers. Speakers: Alexander James Wimmers (TU Berlin, co-author of the new Böll EU Brief on SMRs in the EU), Allison Macfarlane (Former Chair, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission) and Mareike Rüffer (Head of Department Nuclear Safety, Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE), Berlin).

On 28 April 2025, a sudden blackout plunged the Iberian Peninsula into darkness. Within hours, renewables were blamed. Months later, experts found a voltage surge – not green energy – triggered the collapse. This article explores how blackouts fuel anti-climate disinformation and distort Europe’s debate on the energy transition.

For citizens, the energy transition brings many opportunities to cut their bills. They can benefit from cheap renewables, for instance by using solar power from their rooftop. They can reduce their energy consumption, for instance through energy efficient appliances or building renovation. They can also use renewable electricity to move from one place to another. But not every household can afford the new technologies such as solar photovoltaic panels, electric vehicles or heat pumps. The EU offers several rights and regulations that facilitate citizens’ fair participation in the energy transition. Explore our infographic to see which tools make it easier to benefit from the different technologies. This will empower households to escape from rising fossil fuel prices.

New policy briefs by a broad range of stakeholders in energy and social policy outline key levers for the EU to improve citizen participation and inclusion in the energy transition. 

Five months into the new European Commission, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union is releasing an updated European Green Deal Risk Radar, spotlighting critical risks to the EU’s climate, environmental, and sustainability laws in the 2024–2029 legislative term.

The EU promised a renewable energy future – but is it still on track? As political shifts, policy delays and legal battles unfold, the energy transition faces new hurdles. Are we still moving forward, or is Europe starting to backpedal? Seden Anlar reports.

On 9 April 2025, Germany’s incoming government of Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) concluded a governing ‘contract’ that paves the way for the partners to take office in May. The new chancellor will be CDU chief Friedrich Merz, who underscored in the campaign that climate protection would not be a top priority. Paul Hockenos reports.

The European Commission has unveiled its new strategy to make EU industries more competitive with cheap energy. Does this mean the bloc will go full speed ahead in terms of building more wind farms and solar power plants? Jörg Mühlenhoff looks into what the details of the Clean Industrial Deal mean for Europe’s energy transition.

Are ‘highly energy-efficient and sustainable’ data centres by 2030 realistic? Jessica Commins and Kristina Irion argue that despite efficiency measures, unchecked sector growth threatens sustainability. This post presents ten elements that will be key in the development of the iteration of the EU data centre sustainability policy.

Most Britons have no intention of installing a heat pump. Given the cost of electricity in the UK, that’s not unreasonable. Ros Taylor looks at why it is so hard to tempt them away from gas boilers.

Three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Paul Hockenos compares the efforts of the EU and the US in view of weaning from Russian fossil fuels. On the ground, Ukraine’s transition to distributed renewables already rhymes with resilience against the aggressor.

The green technologies needed to rapidly cut our greenhouse gas emissions are already on the market. What’s more, they are, or very soon will be, cost effective. In other words, from the perspective of the household, it is, overall, cheaper to go green. However, there’s a catch: access to capital is king in the household energy transition. 

Cross-continental energy networks are the backbone of Europe’s energy transition. With the accelerated roll-out of solar panels and wind turbines, policymakers and grid operators now feel the back pain from limited energy infrastructure capacities. How can the EU rehab our existing electricity grids and gas pipelines? Two new publications from the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung European Union provide guidance.

Alongside other European powers, the UK is helping to supercharge Saudi Arabia’s attempt to hijack the global sustainability agenda.

Tough decisions lie ahead for the UK government as it tries to decarbonise electricity generation by 2030. Several key decisions have been made but much remains unknown, particularly on reform of the electricity market and the detail of collaboration with the EU. Ros Taylor reports.

Saudi Arabia's climate policy is ever more oriented towards green mega projects and high-profile investments in hydrogen, but is it a mere rebranding of existing energy policies? Read the piece by our 2024 Climate Disinformation Fellow Lyse Mauvais.

Scotland has been a pioneer in renewables, says Kirsten Jenkins. But the easy wins are over and the task of decarbonising Scotland’s economy is becoming steadily more difficult, as the row over net zero targets showed. Nonetheless, the potential to build on its record is clear and the obstacles are not insurmountable.

It is high time for an out-of-silos approach to boost the added value from solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop installations. This analysis suggests a new solidarity model allowing citizens, local retailers and farmers to tap into the benefits of solar electricity.