Solar, storage, and grids: Southern Europe’s priorities for a resilient energy system
While renewable energy generation remains a priority, across Southern Europe, attention is turning to the infrastructure needed to support electrification: power grids, energy storage, and renewable energy working together to support a more resilient, flexible, and secure energy system.
The findings from DNV’s Energy Industry Insights 2026 report suggest that decision-makers see these technologies as complementary components of the future energy system. Energy leaders are responding to rising electricity demand, increasing system complexity, and a more uncertain geopolitical environment by focusing on the assets and capabilities that can strengthen both security of supply and long-term decarbonization.
Why energy security is driving infrastructure investment
Energy security has become a defining consideration for energy strategies across Europe. Recent years have demonstrated how geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and growing demand can expose vulnerabilities within energy systems.
For Southern Europe's energy leaders, the response is clear. According to DNV's survey, 59% identify investment in power grids as the best way to improve energy security in the region over the next three years. At the same time, 41% point to improving energy storage and battery capacity, while 37% highlight increasing renewable energy generation.
These findings indicate that energy security is being viewed as a system-wide challenge. Energy security isn’t only about adding generation capacity. It also requires the infrastructure needed to transport, balance, and manage electricity efficiently as demand patterns evolve and renewable energy supplies a growing share of electricity.
Solar and storage: complementary technologies, not competing solutions
Solar photovoltaics (PV) remain one of the most attractive investment areas in the region. 35% of energy leaders in Southern Europe say they plan to increase investment or focus on solar PV, while 31% are prioritizing solar-plus-storage solutions.
The growing interest in storage reflects the increasing importance of flexibility and the efficient integration of renewable energy into the electricity system. In addition to adding renewable generation, energy leaders are increasingly considering how it can be managed in a reliable and efficient way.
Solar generation and energy storage serve different but complementary functions. Solar PV can increase clean energy production and support decarbonization objectives. Storage can help manage variability, improve system flexibility, and strengthen resilience by balancing supply and demand across different times of the day.
Together, these technologies can support an energy system that is both cleaner and more capable of responding to fluctuations in demand and generation.
The critical role of power grids
While renewable generation and energy storage often attract attention, the survey findings suggest that grids are recognized as the backbone of the energy transition.
As electrification expands across transport, industry, buildings, and other sectors, electricity networks must manage higher volumes of power, accommodate more distributed generation, and support increasingly complex operating conditions.
Modernized grid infrastructure plays a central role in enabling these changes. Stronger transmission and distribution networks can facilitate the integration of renewable energy resources, improve reliability, reduce congestion, and increase system flexibility.
The prominence given to grid investment by Southern Europe's energy leaders reflects a growing recognition that achieving decarbonization goals depends not only on generating low-carbon electricity, but also on delivering it where and when it is needed.
Building a more electrified and resilient future
One of the most notable observations from the Energy Industry Insights findings is that energy security and decarbonization are seen as mutually reinforcing objectives.
Energy leaders do not appear to view renewable energy, storage, and grid investments solely as sustainability measures. Instead, they are widely regarded as critical enablers of energy resilience and long-term transition goals.
This perspective aligns with a broader shift identified across the region: a move toward a more pragmatic energy transition, where success is measured not only by emissions reductions, but also by the ability to deliver secure, reliable, and affordable energy.
As electricity demand continues to grow and the energy landscape becomes more complex, the need for coordinated investment across grids, storage, and renewables is likely to increase. The survey findings suggest that Southern Europe's leaders see solar energy, storage, and grid modernization as essential building blocks of an energy system that can successfully balance energy security, affordability, and decarbonization objectives.