The Strategic Implications of Renewable Energy

The author argues that while the EU views renewable energy as a path to energy security and industrial strength, it currently lacks a clear objective or blueprint for its future integrated energy system. This absence of a systemic plan creates domestic risks, such as redundant spending and political friction between Western and Eastern member states, and external vulnerabilities in the face of competition from China and the US. The text suggests that the EU must integrate its energy, infrastructure, and industrial policies to secure critical materials and market share, potentially utilizing the European Green Deal and the Just Transition Fund to mitigate internal disparities.

• The transition to renewable energy offers geopolitical benefits by increasing domestic production and reducing reliance on fossil fuel imports, which may shift energy trade from global supply chains to regional 'grid communities'.
• Renewable energy introduces new strategic risks, including industrial rivalry between the EU, US, and China over clean tech market shares and critical materials, as well as the replacement of pipeline politics with 'grid politics' regarding interconnector ownership.
• The EU lacks a comprehensive blueprint for its future energy system, leaving unanswered questions about the ideal mix of energy sources, storage locations, and the balance between decentralized generation and high-voltage interconnectors.
• A political divide exists within the EU where renewable energy is viewed as a 'win-win' in Western Europe but as a 'win-lose' in Eastern Europe due to concerns over electricity prices and the fossil fuel workforce.
• The EU's economic success in the transition depends on its ability to compete with other great powers in clean tech, requiring a supportive industrial policy and a strategic approach to critical materials and export markets.
• The EU's current energy flow is heavily centralized through Germany, which the author suggests could be improved by developing new interconnection routes through Scandinavia, the Alps, France, the Low Countries, and the Visegrád group.

APA

Scholten, D. (2019). The Strategic Implications of Renewable Energy. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-strategic-implications-of-renewable-energy/

Chicago

Scholten, Daniel. The Strategic Implications of Renewable Energy. Green European Journal, 2019. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-strategic-implications-of-renewable-energy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Scholten |first1=Daniel |title=The Strategic Implications of Renewable Energy |publisher=Green European Journal |date=19 December 2019 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-strategic-implications-of-renewable-energy/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{scholten2019strategic, author = {Scholten, Daniel}, title = {{The Strategic Implications of Renewable Energy}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/the-strategic-implications-of-renewable-energy/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }