Introduction

Delivering Europe’s energy transition is not only a technical and economic challenge, but also a spatial one. As renewable energy generation and electricity grid infrastructure expand, they must coexist with a wide range of other land and sea uses.

From biodiversity protection to agriculture, from community development to marine activity, these spatial needs often overlap and can cause conflicts. Without clear and integrated spatial planning, energy infrastructure risks becoming delayed, contested, or environmentally unsustainable.

This calls for advancing ideas, approaches and tools for how we plan future, decarbonised energy systems: moving beyond isolated modelling exercises driven by techno-economic optimisation to holistic planning that considers spatial constraints from the outset. At the same time, the interests of communities and ecosystems must be taken into account to ensure a just process that benefits all.