Brussels, 4 March 2026 – Europe’s energy transition is gaining momentum, but progress in planning for innovative renewable energy technologies remains uneven across the bloc. A new report published today by Future Cleantech Architects (FCA) highlights gaps in Europe’s preparedness for the next phase of decarbonization.
Released ahead of the European Commission’s upcoming review of the Energy Union and Climate Action, the report calls for clearer EU guidance to ensure that national energy planning fully supports the scale-up of next-generation clean energy solutions.
The report, “The 5% Opportunity: Unlocking Europe’s Innovative Renewables,” reviews the National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) of ten EU countries: Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain, and the Netherlands. It assesses how governments are applying the EU objective to dedicate at least 5% of newly installed renewable electricity capacity to innovative technologies such as concentrated solar power; perovskite, and organic photovoltaic; enhanced, closed-loop, and ultra-deep geothermal; wave and tidal stream energy; and airborne wind energy. According to the International Energy Agency, around 35% of global progress toward net zero is expected to come from such technologies that are still under development.
Under the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III), member states are expected to ensure that at least 5% of newly installed renewable electricity capacity between 2025 and 2030 contributes to the integration of innovative renewable energy technologies. Introduced in the 2023 revision of the Directive following the initiative of MEP Dr. Markus Pieper (EPP), with support from FCA and others, the target represents a significant opportunity to scale next-generation clean energy solutions.
FCA conservatively estimates that full implementation of the 5% target could avoid around 21 million metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions between 2023 and 2030 – equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 55 gas-fired power plants.
“With clearer guidance to member states from the European Commission, the 5% innovation target can strengthen Europe’s energy autonomy, accelerate its energy transition, and enhance its climate leadership by scaling innovative renewable technologies.”
Dr. Marlène Siméon, Head of EU Policy
While the report highlights promising approaches to innovative planning – particularly from Denmark, Italy, Ireland, and Spain – it also identifies critical gaps across the reviewed NECPs. These include weak operationalization of the 5% target, the absence of a harmonized definition of “innovative renewables,” limited attention to high-potential breakthrough technologies, and a lack of clear links between innovation planning and decarbonization pathways beyond 2030.
To address these gaps, FCA calls on the European Commission to provide clearer guidance, including standardized NECP reporting on innovative renewables; a common definition supported by technology readiness and performance criteria; an indicative list of eligible technologies; closer alignment of EU and national funding instruments with the 5% target and a more potentially binding role for innovation in the post-2030 renewable energy framework.