SolarPower Europe has unveiled plans to establish a dedicated platform focused on European battery storage, marking a significant expansion of its advocacy in the energy storage sector. The announcement was made during the two-day SolarPower Summit in Brussels, where the trade body also introduced a new slogan for its 40th anniversary: “SolarPower Europe: Solar, Storage, and Flexibility.”
As part of its ongoing efforts to support the transition to cleaner energy, SolarPower Europe also launched two reports on flexibility, titled ‘Flexible Buildings, Resilient Grids’ and ‘Embracing the Benefits of Hybrid PV Systems’. These reports address distributed and utility-scale flexibility, with a focus on enhancing energy systems through innovations such as hybrid solar installations.
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, celebrated the organization’s growth over the past four decades. “SolarPower Europe has represented the full European solar value chain for 40 years,” Hemetsberger said. “From 50 MW of solar globally in 1985 to 350 GW alone in the EU last year, we are so proud to be powering the equivalent of 75 million EU households today. Each panel designed, built, and installed is one step forward for our energy security, our competitiveness, and our climate goals.”
The new Battery Storage Europe platform will showcase case studies, regulatory best practices, and offer enhanced advocacy for energy storage policies across the continent. It is designed to strengthen SolarPower Europe’s role in driving storage innovation and regulation at the European level.
In the ‘Embracing the Benefits of Hybrid PV Systems’ report, SolarPower Europe highlighted that hybrid solar projects—integrating storage or wind—offer a 10% lower levelized cost of energy (LCoE) compared to standalone solar installations. The report also noted that hybrid systems improve energy security by ensuring electricity generation beyond sunset.
Despite the EU’s progress, the report found that the UK leads Europe in solar-battery hybrid utility projects, hosting 62% of the continent’s total, while Germany accounts for just 6%.
EU Commissioner for Affordable Housing and Energy, Dan Jorgensen, praised SolarPower Europe’s efforts, stating, “In today’s challenging context, we are at a defining moment for Europe. We need to boost our competitiveness, and bring down energy costs. We need to increase our security, to protect Europe’s place in the world. And we need to accelerate decarbonisation, to ensure the future of our planet. Our response to these challenges is clear: we need to deliver the full benefits of a true Energy Union.”
The new platform and the reports reflect SolarPower Europe’s ongoing commitment to advancing solar, storage, and flexibility solutions in Europe’s evolving energy landscape.
