The European Commission adopted a revision of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan to help harmonise the original objectives with the European Green Deal, REPowerEU Plan and the Green Deal Industrial Plan – notably, the Net-Zero Industry Act. It will ensure a coordinated approach towards achieving Europe’s decarbonisation goals, supporting strategic net-zero technologies and building a sustainable and resilient energy future and industrial competitiveness.
Established in 2007, the SET Plan has been crucial in supporting the development of clean, efficient and cost-competitive energy technologies through coordination and collaboration in clean energy research and innovation among European industry, academia and national governments.
While the updated SET Plan will continue to be essential for delivering on the fifth dimension of the Energy Union – that is, Research, Innovation and Competitiveness – it will also be firmly anchored within the European Research Area (ERA) framework.
“The SET Plan is a key enabler for better-aligning research and innovation programmes and policies with the energy and climate targets, both at national and European level, enhancing the competitiveness of net-zero industries,” said Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy. “The revision of the SET Plan is timely, as countries will have to intensify collaboration and work together to accelerate the clean energy transition – for the benefit of the planet and our economy.”
With this revision, the Commission will take action, first of all by including new priorities on cross-cutting issues, such as sustainability by design, skills development, research and innovation, tailored to societal needs, digitalisation and market accessibility. Secondly, it will expand the current technology scope to encompass all strategic renewable energy technologies, recognising the substantial developments in renewable energy technologies since the SET Plan’s inception. Third, it aims to establish a dedicated workstream on hydrogen to implement the ERA pilot on Green Hydrogen.
Fourth, it will forge cooperation between the European Technology and Innovation Platforms and the European industrial alliances, including the Battery Alliance, the Clean Hydrogen Alliance and the Solar PV Industry Alliance. And finally, it will provide a roadmap for progress that will continue to be monitored through the SET Plan information system (SETIS).
