The EU’s energy transformation is in full swing – and it demands more than one “hero technology”. As the Commission notes, meeting Europe’s 2030 and 2050 climate goals requires a profound transformation of our energy system. This means building flexibility and resilience across electricity, heat and transport, not relying on a single silver bullet. In fact, several experts keep reminding us that there is no single solution for achieving a renewable energy system. The optimal technology mix requires technological openness and a leveled playing field. We need to diversify our toolbox with batteries, hydrogen, hybrid systems and even waste-to-energy, so they can cover each other’s weaknesses and amplify each other’s strengths.
Key Players: Batteries, Hydrogen, Hybrid Systems & Waste-to-Energy
- Batteries & Storage (Short-term grid & e-mobility) – Battery storage (from utility-scale grids to EVs) is crucial to tame variable renewables. Storage shifts excess power into the future, smoothing fluctuations. Batteries can lower peak prices and let consumers charge when the sun shines or wind blows. For example, smart EV charging can valley-fill midday solar peaks and even feed power back to the grid during evening demand. In short, batteries and smart charging are key to short-term balancing and making renewable-rich grids reliable.
- Hydrogen & Other Energy Carriers (Long-term storage & hard-to-abate sectors) – Hydrogen offers a high-density energy carrier for where batteries fall short. Renewable hydrogen can decarbonize heavy industry and long-haul transport and provide seasonal storage when sun and wind are scarce. Unlike electricity, hydrogen can be stored in pipelines or tanks and used later. EU highlights that with ample wind/solar, hydrogen could supply up to ~13–20% of energy by 2050. It’s especially suited for steelmaking, shipping and trucking, and old gas pipelines can often be repurposed for H₂. In effect, hydrogen complements batteries: one handles short-term variability (days) while the other stores months of winter’s worth of energy and fuels machinery batteries cannot.
- Hybrid Systems & Sector Coupling (Integrated solutions) – Combining technologies unlocks synergies. Consider hybrid energy plants that couple solar, wind, batteries and hydrogen (and heat). For example, ENERTRAG “Verbundkraftwerk” in Germany does just that: it stores wind/solar excess in batteries and electrolyzers, then reconverts H₂ to provide power and heat on demand. This plant enables the supply of renewable energy in line with demand – just like conventional power plants. In buildings, hybrid heat pumps pair an electric heat pump with a gas/biomass boiler, automatically adjusting to minimize emissions or costs. One analysis found such hybrids can cut gas use 60–90% in comparison to a boiler alone, by smartly switching between heat pump and burner. Hybrid vehicles (plug-in hybrids, H₂-fuel cell buses with batteries, etc.) similarly bridge gaps. In every case, blending sources means more reliable output: when solar dips, wind or stored H₂ kicks in, and vice versa.
- Waste-to-Energy (WtE) & Bioenergy (Circular base-load) – Don’t forget waste-to-energy plants, which turn non-recyclable residual waste into electricity and heat. These plants provide a steady, local power and heat supply, effectively replacing fossil fuels in district heating networks. In fact, CEWEP notes WtE substitutes fossil fuels and decarbonises the electricity and heat sector, especially where district heating is in place. As a bonus, incinerating residual waste avoids methane from landfills (methane is ~28× more potent than CO₂ over 100 years). WtE contributes constant low-carbon energy and keeps our circular economy moving by recovering materials and energy from what’s left. In short, it’s a niche player—not a silver bullet—but it complements intermittent renewables with reliable baseload and co-benefits. Moreover, it provides a very elegant solution to cover both energy and waste management sectors, especially if considered for waste-to-hydrogen purposes (e.g. Indeloop’s solution that turns non-recyclable waste into synthetic gas and cleans it to generate renewable hydrogen).
No One-Size-Fits-All: Complementarity & Trade-offs
Energy experts with holistic views stress out: no single technology can cover all needs. However, there are plenty of those who keep the feud going between relevant technologies, trying (for some reason) to push only one technology and discarding the other. All of them have valid arguments for each of the technologies. Batteries are great for balancing energy for hours-to-days, but they don’t (at the moment) easily cover weeks-to-months of demand. Hydrogen and biofuels can carry energy longer-term, but at the cost of conversion losses and new infrastructure. Electric cars make transport cleaner and can buffer the grid, but planes, ships and some trucks will still need carbon-neutral fuels or hydrogen. Even renewable expansion has trade-offs: massive batteries require minerals and recycling; green hydrogen requires lots of renewables and water; biomass and WtE must be managed to avoid land-use or pollution issues.
The point is: complementarity beats monoculture. For example: wind peaks in winter evenings might flow into green hydrogen, while summer solar fills batteries and rooftops. Solar and wind hybrids (or solar and wind, in combination with storage) can generate more consistent clean power. EVs and smart grids let batteries in cars can act as millions of small storage tanks. Waste-to-energy can soak up heat demand and stabilize local grids when solar/wind falter. Taken together, these tools reinforce each other: one tech’s “gap” becomes another’s opportunity.
Moreover, the system’s perspective is key. The existing gas network already provides seasonal storage ~1,000× larger than electricity grids and has vast pipelines to move energy. Integrating gas, power and heat networks can save billions in infrastructure costs while meeting demand. In practical terms, this means policies should enable sector coupling – linking up renewable electricity, hydrogen, heating and mobility – rather than betting on a single path.
Policy & Investment: Think Systems, Not Silos
Policymakers and investors must abandon tech dogma and embrace a system thinking approach. The EU’s own Energy System Integration strategy calls for breaking sector silos: electricity, gas, heat and transport should all interlink with smart grids and storage. This means designing markets and regulations that reward flexibility and multiple solutions equally. For instance, tariff structures should not unfairly tax electrolyzers or wind generators when they produce hydrogen, nor penalize EVs for feeding the grid.
Crucially, we need coordinated planning. Grid expansion, EV infrastructure, hydrogen pipelines, heat networks and waste management must be seen as parts of one plan. The Commission highlights how direct electrification (EVs, heat pumps) should be pursued where efficient, while “indirect electrification” via hydrogen makes sense where direct use is challenging. Digitalisation and demand response (smart demand shifting) are also key cross-cutting enablers.
Can Europe afford to keep favoring one technology or is it time to fund the whole package? Only by integrating batteries, hydrogen, hybrids, WtE, renewables and efficiency measures can we build a resilient, net-zero system. Are we ready to let go of “silver bullet” thinking and invest in the energy puzzle as a whole?
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Energy News. This content is presented as the author’s analysis based on available information at the time of writing. It should not be considered as representative of Energy News or its editorial stance. Readers are encouraged to consider this as one perspective among many and to form their own opinions based on multiple sources.
