The European Commission has unveiled a strategic roadmap for digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) in energy, as part of a wider tech sovereignty package.

The roadmap sets out how AI and other digital solutions can ensure the sustainable integration of digital infrastructure in the bloc’s energy system, while also making the system more efficient.

In a statement available on its website, the commission says the roadmap will tackle cybersecurity concerns by undertaking a risk assessment of solar and wind installations.

“Solar and wind power generation digital infrastructure are emerging as a priority cybersecurity concern, with high risks that include the manipulation or prevention of electricity production, unauthorized access to operational data, the infiltration of key supply chain actors and the possibility to trigger remote blackouts,” the commission said.

“To respond to these risks, the commission is undertaking a risk assessment of solar and wind installations in the EU, including cybersecurity risk assessment, and has restricted the use of EU funds for projects involving inverters from high-risk suppliers.”

It adds that it will also review the energy security of supply framework, which may include new measures for better identification and management of cybersecurity risks in critical energy devices.

“Strengthening cybersecurity and safeguarding critical infrastructure across the whole energy system must remain central as digitalization comes with exposure to hybrid and cyber threats,” commented Dries Acke, Deputy CEO of SolarPower Europe.

The strategic roadmap also plans to accelerate the deployment of digital and AI solutions in Europe’s electricity infrastructure, support a faster rollout of smart meters and build sovereign AI models for the energy sector, trained on European data and developed by European companies, that help to simplify the exchange of cross-border energy data.

It also commits to ensuring that data centres are integrated into the bloc’s energy system in a sustainable and transparent manner.

Acke added that as AI adoption accelerates and data centre capacity expands, Europe must ensure this growth strengthens, rather than strains, the energy system. 

“Data centres should therefore be properly integrated through smarter planning, greater flexibility solutions and closer coordination between all stakeholders,” he said. “The combination of solar and battery storage provides a prime opportunity for swift and sustainable data centre integration.”