Recording of Wednesday, May 07, 2025 | The smarter E Europe | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 17:46 .

UK Pioneers Europe's Co-Located Renewable Projects with Market Expected to Triple by 2034

Cecilie Kristiansen from Wood Mackenzie highlights the growing importance of co-location projects in Europe's energy transition. These projects integrate storage solutions with renewable sources like solar and wind to mitigate their variability due to weather dependency. Currently, storage accounts for about 3% of Europe's installed capacity but is expected to quadruple over a decade as it becomes crucial for grid flexibility. Despite progress in setting targets through National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), only 14 European countries have clear goals for storage development compared to more established pathways for solar and onshore wind growth. Co-located projects represent a small fraction—10%—of total renewable-linked storage capacity; another 8% pairs with fossil fuels using existing infrastructure without significant new investments. The UK leads this sector due to mature market practices, while Spain faces regulatory challenges despite ambitious targets. The renewables market sees rapid expansion, yet the development of corresponding storage solutions lags behind except where driven by specific needs such as grid stability or hydro resources providing natural flexibility. Market conditions significantly influence co-location prospects across Europe, with Germany's robust auction processes and Greece’s expedited connection initiatives contributing notably towards future trends. Currently, most tracked pipeline projects are still at announcement stages; however, interest grows rapidly among top developers primarily funded by Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Projections indicate that co-located share will triple reaching 43 GW or 154 GWh by 2034 driven by falling capture prices alongside policy support reshaping project economics effectively addressing challenges like grid congestion competition volatile power prices strategically within industry dynamics globally today!

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Speaker

Cecilie Kristiansen
Research Associate
Wood Mackenzie
United Kingdom

Talk of session: Hybrid PV Power Plants I: Enhancing Grid Flexibility with PV, Wind & Battery Storage

Grid congestion, curtailment and increasing occurrence of negative electricity prices have spread across Europe as the growth of intermittent renewables has reached significant levels and continues to grow.A key to solving these challenges lies in flexibility. Hybrid PV power plants -which combine solar with wind and storage - are emerging as a critical solution for both existing and new projects. This session will explore the market potential, framework conditions, and outlook for hybrid solar-based energy systems in Europe. This session will provide: Key drivers for hybrid solar plant development in Europe Challenges and opportunities for project implementation Policy frameworks supporting solar-based hybrid power plants in the EU Market outlook for hybrid PV power plants.

Further Talks of this session:

Welcome & Introduction

Speaker

Bruce Douglas
CEO
Global Renewables Alliance
Belgium

To Talk

Flexibility for Energy Systems Through Hybrid Solar Based Solutions

Speaker

Carlos Perez Linkenheil
Head of Market Analysis Germany
AFRY Management Consulting
Germany

Video is not available.

Unlocking the Potential of Renewable-Storage Hybrids

Speaker

Ulrike Gunnemann
Head of Storage & Hybrids
BayWa r.e. AG
Germany

To Talk

Policy and Regulatory Environments for Solar & Bess Hybrids in Major Europen Markets

Speaker

Rebecca McManus
Research Associate
Aurora Energy Research
Germany

To Talk

Panel Discussion: How to Unlock the Gigantic Flexibility Potenial of Solar-Hybrid Power Plants?

Speaker

To Talk