The Strategic Role of Renewable Energy in the EU After the Energy Crisis: AN EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY INVESTIGATING THE STRATEGIC AND POLITICAL ROLE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY THROUGH THE ANALYSIS OF OFFICIAL EU DOCUMENTS AND SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH THE RENEWABLE ENERGY SECTOR

The Strategic Role of Renewable Energy in the EU After the Energy Crisis

Vorbeck, Tania Sini

4. semester

International Relations, MSc.

2024

2024-10-15

57

Dette speciale er et eksplorativt casestudie af den strategiske og politiske rolle, som vedvarende energi spiller i EU. Udgangspunktet er spørgsmålet: Hvordan har vedvarende energis rolle udviklet sig i EU under og efter energikrisen i 2022? Analysen fokuserer på tiden omkring energikrisen og den russiske invasion af Ukraine i 2022. Studiet anvender en kvalitativ tilgang baseret på officielle EU-dokumenter—herunder RePowerEU-planen, Net-Zero Industry Act og European Economic Security Strategy—samt semistrukturerede interviews med eksperter fra sektoren. En semistruktureret interviewform betyder, at samtalerne følger faste temaer, men er åbne for uddybning. Teoretisk trækker specialet på global politisk økonomi (GPE) og international politisk økonomi (IPE) for at belyse, hvordan markedskræfter og politiske interesser sammen former energipolitikken. Resultaterne viser, at vedvarende energi er rykket fra primært at være et værktøj til dekarbonisering (at reducere drivhusgasudledninger) til at blive et centralt middel til at styrke energisikkerheden, mindske afhængigheden af udenlandsk energi—især russiske fossile brændsler—og opbygge økonomisk og teknologisk autonomi i EU. Denne udvikling bidrager også til at forbedre EU’s konkurrenceevne og politiske stabilitet i en tid med globale energiskift. EU’s svar, bl.a. gennem RePowerEU, Net-Zero Industry Act og European Economic Security Strategy, har prioriteret at diversificere energiforsyningen, investere i strategiske netto-nul-teknologier og opskalere den interne produktion af vedvarende energi. Specialet konkluderer, at energikrisen ikke blot har accelereret den grønne omstilling i EU, men også har cementeret vedvarende energi som en hjørnesten i regionens fremtidige økonomiske og geopolitiske strategi. Det understreger, at energipolitik er tæt forbundet med bredere mål for sikkerhed, økonomi og politik i EU.

This thesis is an exploratory case study of the EU’s strategic and political use of renewable energy. It asks: How has the role of renewable energy in the EU developed during and after the 2022 energy crisis? The analysis focuses on the period shaped by the energy crisis and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The study uses a qualitative approach based on EU official documents—such as the RePowerEU plan, the Net-Zero Industry Act, and the European Economic Security Strategy—and semi-structured interviews with experts from the renewable energy sector. Semi-structured interviews follow core questions while allowing open-ended discussion. The thesis draws on Global Political Economy (GPE) and International Political Economy (IPE) to examine how market forces and political interests interact to shape energy policy. Key findings show that renewable energy has moved from being mainly a tool for decarbonization (cutting greenhouse gas emissions) to a central way to improve energy security, reduce dependence on foreign energy—especially Russian fossil fuels—and build economic and technological autonomy within the EU. This shift also strengthens the EU’s competitive position and supports political stability amid global energy changes. In response, EU initiatives such as RePowerEU, the Net-Zero Industry Act, and the European Economic Security Strategy prioritize diversifying energy supplies, investing in strategic net-zero technologies, and scaling up domestic renewable energy production. The thesis concludes that the energy crisis has not only accelerated the EU’s green transition but also cemented renewable energy as a cornerstone of the region’s future economic and geopolitical strategy. This demonstrates how energy policy is tightly linked to broader security, economic, and political goals in the EU.

[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]

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