Europe’s Clean Energy China Dependence

Europe is expanding renewable power, batteries, and related technologies while remaining heavily dependent on China for solar panels, lithium-ion batteries, inverters, storage systems, electric vehicles, and critical materials.

EU officials and auditors have called for faster domestic manufacturing, recycling, and supplier diversification, but progress remains limited and may increase near-term costs. Brussels is combining new raw-material initiatives, external partnerships, trade measures, and technical talks with China as it weighs cost, security, retaliation, and intellectual-property risks.