How is Europe's green energy transition going?
That depends on who you ask. A wide range of opinions is inevitable given the complexity of the question. Differing opinions also reflect a deeper issue: the information needed to form well-grounded views is scattered, hard to access and not always presented objectively or neutrally. Yet without common reference points, discourse risks drifting further apart.
Next week, we will share a new effort to construct one such reference point: the European Clean Tech Tracker. It collects the best available information (to our knowledge) on the installation of clean technologies, their manufacturing, trade in them and the related jobs. Depending on availability, data is provided for most European countries, down to the factory level. We have done our best to present the information in an accessible, intuitive and user-friendly manner. The Tracker is a work in progress and feedback is greatly appreciated.
So, how is Europe's green transition going? The solar sector now employs 230,000 Europeans, there are 230 GWh-worth of installed batteries and 100 operating nuclear power plants, and electricity supplies one-quarter of final energy consumption. In 2024, companies invested €20 billion into European battery and electric vehicle factories, while €90 billion was spent importing clean tech goods into the European Union and more than 2 million heat pumps were sold in Europe.
But such snippets alone can give only partial answers. We have designed the Tracker as a comprehensive repository, providing easy access to the full scope of clean technology information, so you can form your own views.
The new European Clean Tech Tracker will be officially launched on 3 September 2025, both onsite at the Bruegel Annual Meetings 2025, and online at www.bruegel.org – stay tuned!
Improving climate, sustainability and biodiversity policies
3wGreat reminder from Ben McWilliams that the green transition in energy is being driven by market forces, even as governments become more cautious. But policymakers should remember that the economics of renewable energy have turned so positive because of previously far-sighted policies that overcame the market failures and incentivised the capital investment essential to reap the rewards of lower operating costs now. Let’s learn that lesson for other parts of the green transition, notably the circular economy and water management. Investment now in resource efficiency and water efficiency will save us huge costs in the future. We need to think on longer time horizons.
Sostenibilitat (CSO) | Enginyeria Vital (bioengineer), Cooperació Institucional, Analisis Sistemiques, i molt més
3wThank you Bruegel! Avidly waiting for this report Wishing you the best for your annual meeting