"Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis are a painful reminder that Europe must reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. To build a sustainable, secure and affordable energy future, the coming years will require a massive scale-up of renewable energy across the EU and a tremendous effort by European businesses and households to cut their energy consumption.

To wrap up the "Digitalisation for a Clean Energy Transition" project undertaken by the EPC and the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications, this Discussion Paper examines how digitalisation can act as a catalyst for the clean energy transition in Europe. The study considers the regulatory framework necessary to coordinate and promote synergies between energy and digital policies and support the twin green and digital transformation of the European energy system.

To fully unlock the potential of digitalisation in the transition towards smart and sustainable energy systems, the EU and its member states need to:

Accelerate work on a common European energy data space, characterised by interoperable data standards, adequate incentives for data sharing, data protection and privacy safeguards for consumers.
Ensure that citizens possess the necessary digital skills and information to reap the full benefits of the twin transition in terms of consumer empowerment and access to affordable and clean energy.
Put in place the necessary safeguards regarding the cybersecurity of energy networks to ensure that the digital transformation does not jeopardise the resilience of EU energy systems.
Use financial tools to accelerate the deployment of digital solutions in the energy sector and equip existing networks with the necessary digital infrastructure.

For digitalisation to deliver, it needs to be steered in the right direction. For this, we need an adequate policy and financing framework to make sure that the twin transition not only empowers people and businesses to play an active role in accelerating the transition to clean energy sources but also contributes to greening the digital and ICT sector."

Support: Digital