The Clean Energy Transition Is Not Enough: Europe Needs a Truly Sustainable Energy System

The transition to clean energy is one of the most important projects of our time. But clean energy alone is not the same as sustainable energy.

For Europe, the shift to renewables is essential for climate protection, energy security, and economic resilience. Renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower are rightly at the center of this transformation, offering a path away from fossil fuels and toward a low-carbon future.

But if Europe wants to lead credibly on climate and sustainability, the energy transition must go beyond emissions at the point of generation. It must also address the supply chains, materials, production processes, and end-of-life management behind renewable technologies.

Without this broader perspective, we risk replacing one unsustainable system with another—only greener on the surface.

Clean Energy vs. Sustainable Energy

Clean energy focuses primarily on reducing greenhouse gas emissions during operation. Sustainability, however, asks a deeper question: What is the total environmental, social, and economic impact of an energy system across its entire lifecycle?

A truly sustainable energy transition must consider all of these dimensions.

Solar Energy: Clean Power, Material Challenges

Solar power is one of Europe's fastest-growing renewable energy sources. Photovoltaic systems produce electricity with minimal emissions and can be deployed at scale—from rooftops to large solar farms.

Pros:

• Zero emissions during operation
• Scalable and decentralized
• Falling costs and improving efficiency

Supply Chain Challenges:

• Heavy reliance on imported raw materials such as silicon, silver, aluminum, and rare elements
• Concentration of manufacturing in a few countries, creating geopolitical and supply risks
• Limited recycling infrastructure for end-of-life solar panels

Many solar panels installed today will reach the end of their lifespan in the coming decades. The EU-27 is projected to accumulate between 6 and 13 million tons of photovoltaic waste by 2040. Without strong recycling systems and circular design principles, Europe could face a significant waste and resource problem.

Wind Energy: Powerful Potential, Complex Supply Chains

Wind energy—both onshore and offshore—is a cornerstone of Europe's clean energy strategy. It provides large amounts of renewable electricity and supports energy independence.

Pros:

• High energy yield and reliability
• Low operational emissions
• Strong potential for domestic production and jobs

Supply Chain Challenges:

• Dependence on steel, copper, and rare earth elements (such as neodymium and dysprosium)
• Environmental and social impacts of mining, often outside Europe
• Difficult recycling of composite materials used in turbine blades

Wind turbine blades, in particular, remain a major circularity challenge. By 2030, approximately 42,500 wind turbines in the EU-27 are expected to reach the end of their operational life. While 85% of wind turbines consist of recyclable metals, the remaining 15% from composite materials in blades poses a significant recycling challenge. Many are currently landfilled or incinerated at the end of their life.

A sustainable transition requires innovation in materials, design for disassembly, and reuse strategies. Companies like Renercycle are developing thermal treatments to recover materials from turbine blades, but these solutions need to scale rapidly.

Hydropower and Bioenergy: Renewable, but Not Impact-Free

Hydropower and bioenergy are often considered mature and reliable renewable sources, but they come with their own sustainability trade-offs.

Hydropower Pros and Cons:

• Low emissions and long lifespan
• Can disrupt ecosystems, fish migration, and water systems
• High environmental impact during construction

Bioenergy Pros and Cons:

• Can utilize waste streams and residues
• Risk of deforestation, land-use change, and competition with food production
• Sustainability depends heavily on sourcing and governance

Europe's Responsibility: Building Sustainable Supply Chains

Europe has set ambitious climate targets—and rightly so. But achieving them responsibly means investing not only in renewable capacity, but also in sustainable and transparent supply chains.

A clean energy transition built on exploitative labor, environmental degradation, or linear "take-make-waste" models undermines its own goals.

Circularity as the Missing Link

Circularity must become a core pillar of Europe's energy strategy. This means keeping materials in use for as long as possible, minimizing waste, and recovering valuable resources at the end of product life.

Circular energy systems reduce environmental impact, strengthen resilience, and lower long-term costs. Europe needs active secondary markets for reused and recycled materials to minimize waste and enhance strategic autonomy.

Toward a Fully Sustainable Energy Transition

The clean energy transition is necessary—but it is not sufficient on its own. Europe must adopt a full sustainability concept that addresses emissions, materials, supply chains, and social responsibility together.

If we want a future that is not only low-carbon but also fair, resilient, and resource-efficient, we must look beyond the electricity meter. Clean energy must be backed by clean supply chains, circular design, and sustainable governance.

Only then can Europe truly claim leadership in the global transition toward a sustainable energy system.