Is Europe's Energy Supply Truly Secure?

At this year’s Unternehmertag 2026, Dr. Lars Schernikau posed an uncomfortable but crucial question: Can the European energy system remain reliable, affordable, and sustainable all at once?
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In his presentation, “Europe’s Energy Challenge – Why Wind and Solar Cannot Power Europe,” he examined the energy debate from a macro-energy economics perspective taking it beyond political and ideological debates.
Lars focused on three fundamental challenges facing wind and solar energy namely energy density, the intermittency of these weather-dependent generation technologies, and their limited lifespan.
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Using examples from Germany and other international comparisons, Lars explained why installed capacity is not the same as delivering reliable electricity 24/7/365, what role storage, grids, and dispatchable electricity generation play and why full system costs are crucial for ensuring competitiveness and security of supply.
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This presentation shows us a different angle on energy, industry, and the question of what a resilient energy system of the future might look like.

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