Sustainable, Reliable, or Affordable: The Future European Renewable Energy Infrastructure

As global efforts towards achieving net-zero targets continue to grow, countries experiencing a surge in demand for renewable energy infrastructure may encounter competition due to uneven production capacities. Currently, European renewable energy infrastructure depends on limited suppliers and technologies, which have the potential to be diversified and robustified. This work aims to explore the potential supply chain transition of net-zero European renewable energy infrastructure and evaluate it in terms of environmental impacts, policy robustness, and economic costs. Based on results from scenario analysis, we find that the trade-offs always exist, i.e., sustainability, reliability, and affordability cannot be simultaneously achieved in a single scenario. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the close interaction of European renewable energy infrastructure with global capacity and market, indicating the need for a holistic approach in addressing the challenges of achieving a sustainable and resilient energy future.