International Stakeholders Meeting (2026)

International Stakeholders Meeting: ENR Working Group Renewable Energy
Meeting Date: 3rd September 2026

Host: DENA (German Energy Agency)

Member Agencies
The meeting opened with roundtable introductions and updates from participating national energy agencies across the Working Group. Delegates shared brief updates and the host emphasised aligning shared national priorities to ensure strong, active engagement across all represented Member States.

Past Impact and New Focus Topics
Participants reviewed key milestones from the previous term. Specifically, the WG mentioned numerous workshops over the past three years, regarding areas of interest related to decarbonisation, renewable heat, and strengthening European Value Chains of strategic net zero industries. Building on past momentum, the discussion shifted towards newly prioritised strategic areas, targeting decarbonisation and thermal efficiency. Furthermore, a series of newly proposed topics was presented to expand the scope of focus. These include addressing social considerations, such as renewable energy communities, energy poverty, and public acceptance of renewable technologies. Key EU frameworks were also introduced, including the electrification of district heating and its market integration under the EU Electrification Action Plan, the EU Heating & Cooling Strategy, grid security and efficiency under the EU Grids Package, and consumer participation through the Citizens’ Energy Package.

Possible Activities (2026–2027)
The group brainstormed collaborative initiatives for the 2026–2027 work programme, with some interventions with ideas from the members of the WG.  Brief reference was also made to the Working Group’s Terms of Reference (ToR) to ensure that parties are aligned regarding the main document that was shared with members prior to the meeting.

REEValue Project Presentation
The meeting concluded with a presentation on the REEValue project which was delivered by MBB project executive Owen Bell. The presentation outlined the consortium’s efforts in business outreach, demonstrated the REEValue Online Evaluation Tool, and highlighted active SME support schemes covering energy audits, smart sustainability, and green mobility.

Addressing the concept of value chain collaboration, as well as the common friction of multi-company data sharing that can result from it, the presentation also mentioned alternative strategies towards single “anchor” investments that create automatic downstream benefits towards decarbonisation. This concept was illustrated through the GSD Malta case study, where internal efficiency measures paved the way for renewable energy sizing; by replacing over 750 downstream commercial coolers.

For DENA and concentrated solar thermal (CST) applications, a key takeaway from REEValue learnings is that reducing base thermal and electrical demand first allows renewable supply systems to be right-sized at significantly lower capital costs. Conducting pre-feasibility studies on anchor industrial sites also helps de-risk entire value chains while providing clear financing pathways to overcome capital bottlenecks for business owners.