OPINION /
Paris, France, Monday 12 May 2025
Today, Europe’s truck manufacturers are finally ready to scale production on electric vehicles – but the energy systems that support them are not. Making electric transport cheaper than diesel requires more than just good vehicles; it demands smart, decentralized charging hubs that combine solar, battery storage, and robust grid integration. This is why we founded Decade Energy.
But to build that future, we need to learn from those already doing it at scale. I just spent 10 days in China, alongside colleagues, visiting 15 companies across Shenzhen, Shanghai, and other industrial hubs. China is not only the world’s largest producer of renewables and batteries, it also leads in innovation, system integration, and speed of deployment. Our goal was to understand how China’s capabilities can help accelerate Europe’s transition – not by reinventing the wheel, but by working with the people already driving it.
The experience also held personal meaning for me. It was a chance to witness how a nation that lifted 800 million people out of poverty within a single generation is now shaping the future of global energy – and what that means for Europe.
One thing is clear: While Europe debates and pilots, China is already deploying at scale.
In a world of shifting alliances and rising geopolitical instability, Europe must urgently rethink its energy strategy. Security is no longer just military – it’s about the resilience of our civilian infrastructure: the systems that power transport, heating, agriculture, and food distribution. These systems must be independent, decentralized, and defendable.
That means:
So how do we get there, quickly and affordably?
Let’s start by answering that question through four lenses: Independence, Time, Cost, and Talent.
1. Independence: From Oil Addiction to Energy Security
The most obvious answer to Europe’s energy vulnerability is a full-scale shift to renewables.
Russia and the United States, both Petrostates, benefit and gain power as long as Europe continues to be addicted to fossil fuels. In contrast, Europe and China both lack significant oil and gas reserves but have abundant wind and solar resources.
China recognized the strategic importance of renewables more than a decade ago and acted decisively. Leveraging centralized decision-making and a massive domestic market, China has built a world-leading supply chain, cutting-edge technology, and scaled manufacturing at an astonishing pace. As a result, China now produces batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and battery energy storage systems (BESS) at a superior quality and while continuing to lower their costs.
Europe, meanwhile, remains dangerously dependent on oil and gas. These fuels make us vulnerable – a single geopolitical move could close the tap, leaving us without heat, transport, or food distribution. If trucks can’t deliver food into a major city like Paris due to a diesel shortage, shelves will be empty and people will begin to starve within days.
The contrast is stark: Fossil fuels offer leverage to others – and risk to ourselves. Renewables offer independence, stability, and long-term security.
2. Time: Build Our Own Supply Chain or Buy from the Best?
China has spent the last decade building a complete and competitive supply chain for renewables – from wind and solar to batteries, electric vehicles, and charging infrastructure.
Today, their products are not only technologically advanced but also priced competitively enough to make new applications, like small-scale commercial and industrial (C&I) BESS, economically viable.
What’s more, China continues to invest heavily in R&D. As an example; over the last 5 years Chinese companies applied for 70% of the global patent application for BESS. While visiting China, we saw battery energy storage projects that, if successful, could drastically reduce – or even eliminate – the risk of fire. This type of initiative would be a game-changer for Europe. With higher safety standards, permitting processes could be streamlined, installation costs reduced, market expanded, and deployment accelerated.
While Europe debates whether to build or buy, China keeps moving. Every month of hesitation puts us further behind. If our goal is rapid energy independence, buying best-in-class technology from the world’s current leader is the fastest, smartest route.
3. Cost: Europe’s €375 Billion Cash Drain
Europe spends more than €375 billion on oil and gas imports every year – money that could instead be invested in building long-term energy security. And it’s not just about cost, it's about who we’re buying it from.
Our biggest supplier today is the United States, a country that no longer acts like a close ally. Beyond that, much of our oil and gas comes from nations we shouldn’t want to depend on politically, economically, or strategically. Norway, one of the few reliable sources, only accounts for around 13% of the EU's fossil fuel imports.
This dependency leaves Europe exposed. With every shipment, we’re not only wasting money, we’re also weakening our resilience.
Shifting that spending toward renewable infrastructure, even if the technology is sourced from adbroad, would give us fixed, long-lasting energy assets. That’s not a cost. That’s a strategic investment.
4. Talent: Do We Even Want to Compete on Their Terms?
When it comes to manufacturing and scaling of our production of renewables, the real question for Europe might not be whether we can compete, but whether we want to.
In China, the work ethic is intense. During our visit, we scheduled a meeting with a multi-billion euro company at 8:30 AM on a Saturday morning. When we arrived, six people were already waiting outside the Shanghai skyscraper to welcome us. No excuses – just sharp, professional execution, followed by a full presentation and a two-hour strategic meeting.
Can you imagine a similar response from any European company?
Europe’s top graduates are rarely drawn to manufacturing. Instead, they go into finance, consulting, or tech software startups. In contrast, China graduates 1.5 million engineers annually, over 12% of all graduates, many of whom go straight into industrial R&D or manufacturing roles.
At one €10 billion company we visited, 40% of staff work in R&D, and 25% of revenue is reinvested into innovation. This company has filed over 4,000 patent applications. Salaries are globally competitive, but even in Tier 1 cities, wages are 50–70% lower than in Western Europe – with far longer working hours.
Competing on these terms would require a cultural shift in Europe – not just investment in infrastructure, but a revaluation of what kind of work we consider attractive and meaningful.
Europe’s Diesel Dependency Is a National Security Risk
Our transport system, and by extension, our food supply, is deeply vulnerable.
If the oil tap were shut off tomorrow, Europe’s road transport would grind to a halt within weeks. Supermarket shelves would be empty. Food would stop moving into cities. People in places like Paris could begin starving within days.
It doesn’t stop there. Nearly all agricultural machinery in Europe runs on diesel. If oil deliveries stopped, fields would go unsown, harvests undone. Within months, we’d face a full-scale agricultural crisis.
This is not theoretical. Oil and gas flows can be disrupted overnight – and the mere threat of disruption can be enough to cause political decisions that go against our long-term interests.
The strategic leverage this gives fossil fuel suppliers is immense. And Europe, by clinging to outdated infrastructure, is unprepared.
Is Relying on Chinese Renewables Just Another Dependency?
It’s a fair question: if we replace our oil and gas dependence with Chinese-made solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries, aren’t we just trading one vulnerability for another?
The answer is no, and here’s why.
Unlike fossil fuels, which require continuous delivery, renewable hardware has a long, stable lifespan. Once a solar panel, wind turbine, or BESS system is installed, it can operate independently for 15 to 25 years. If supply chains were to be interrupted, we’d have years to adjust, not days.
Hardware is one thing, system intelligence and control is another. The real key is this: Europe must control the software that operates our energy systems, and ensure it runs on European-owned data infrastructure.
Dependency on Chinese renewables is qualitatively different from dependency on fossil fuels. One puts us in a permanent state of risk. The other gives us time, flexibility, and ultimately, control.
The Myth of “Cheap Chinese Quality” is Outdated
Many Europeans still cling to the belief that Chinese products are low quality, copied from Western designs, and produced under exploitative conditions. That view might have held water 20–30 years ago, but this is completely disconnected from today’s reality.
While in China, the factories we visited were ultra-modern, impeccably clean, and highly automated. In one facility, workers on the production line were organized into three color-coded teams: blue for operators, red for quality control, yellow for maintenance.
The smallest group? The operators. The reality is that most of the actual manufacturing work is now done by Chinese-made robots, not people. And that’s by design. As the manager explained:
“We do very precise work, and we cannot afford human error. People get sick, take holidays, or have bad days. Robots are consistent. They work 24/7.”
From a European perspective, it’s a critical insight: this is not a source of employment we should aspire to replicate. Instead, the real job opportunities lie in the installation, operation, maintenance, and especially the software integration of these renewable systems – all of which must happen locally, here in Europe.
Trying to re-shore the upstream production of commodity hardware would be capital intensive, low margin, and employment light. It’s not where our competitive edge, or opportunity, lies.
Why Distributed Energy Systems Are Europe's Best Defence
Large-scale power plants, centralized transmission lines, and utility-scale battery storage may seem efficient – but they’re also prime targets. As we've seen recently at Heathrow, even one single substation on fire can shut down major infrastructure like an airport for 18 hours. In a world of escalating hybrid threats, centralized energy systems are fragile.
The solution? Distributed energy assets.
In a resilient residential system:
With this setup, homeowners can stay online during disruptions, keep their fridge running, charge their phone, and even drive to get food or reach work.
The same applies to commercial and industrial (C&I) sites. A logistics depot equipped with rooftop solar, a battery storage system, and electric trucks becomes self-sufficient and disruption-resistant.
Agriculture, too, has untapped potential. Farmland offers space for moderate-scale solar, and the sunny season aligns well with crop cycles. Pair that with electric tractors, drones, and irrigation systems, and you get not only local food production, but also locally generated energy.
It's becomes clear: Resilience starts small, spreads wide, and scales fast. Distributed systems are harder to attack, quicker to deploy, and make up the backbone of a defendable, modern energy grid.
Conclusion: Energy Independence is Europe’s New Frontline
The lessons from China are clear and urgent. While Europe debates, China builds. While we worry about margins, they invest in scale, automation, and world-class R&D. And while we talk about sovereignty, they’re executing on it.
The energy transition is no longer just about climate. It’s about control, resilience, and freedom from coercion. Relying on fossil fuels leaves us exposed – strategically, economically, and morally. Every euro spent on oil and gas strengthens regimes we can’t trust. Every delay in deploying renewables increases our vulnerability.
We don’t need to build everything from scratch. We do need to move faster, install smarter, and own what matters: the systems, the software, and the grid intelligence.
Distributed renewables give us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to regain control – not just of energy, but of our future.
Decade Energy’s Contribution
Decade Energy’s job is to develop, install, finance, own, and manage all the new hardware of the “Depot of the Future.” In parallel, we develop the software integrating all the data streams to achieve an optimal cost of electricity.
We start with enhancing the grid connection to the depots and installing battery storage in the service of logistics companies and real estate owners. Short term, we secure the grid with grid services. When the e-trucks come at scale, the logistics companies and depots will then be prepared with renewable energy supply at scale, too.
Alexandre has developed over €250M in renewable energy projects across wind, solar, BESS and EV infrastructure. At Decade Energy, he leads the IPP business and drives strategy to fast-track decarbonization.
Europe’s energy future runs through depots, not highways. As energy, industry, and security priorities converge, the path to a resilient Europe begins with clean logistics.
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