Brussels, 21st November. Yesterday, Solar Heat Europe’s Managing Director, Valérie Séjourné, participated in the Small Business Standards (SBS) Annual Event, Small Business, Big Energy: Empowering SMEs in Renewables.
Europe’s energy transition has reached a critical point. High electricity prices and dependence on imported natural gas continue to undermine the region’s competitiveness. As highlighted in Draghi 2024 Report on EU competitiveness, this reliance weakens the European Union’s global standing and underscores the urgent need to accelerate decarbonisation. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a vital role to play in this transformation.
Across the renewable energy value chain, from manufacturing and installation to software and maintenance, SMEs are already driving innovation. Yet their voice remains limited in one crucial area: standardisation.
To address this, SBS has published a new study, outlining SME’s involvement across the renewable energy value chain and identifying where their contribution to standardisation is most needed.
This conference used the report’s findings as a foundation to explore policy implications and develop standardisation strategies that can help SMEs strengthen their impact across the sector.
During the event, Jon Echanove, SBS Secretary General, note that while SMEs are active in fields such as solar thermal and small-scale hydropower, their involvement in standardisation remains insufficient.
Valérie Séjourné took part in the first panel “Empowering SMEs in the Renewable Energy Sector” along with Jon Echanove and Dirk Hendricks, Secretary General at the European Renewable Energies Federation (EREF). As she emphasised, SMEs represent the backbone of the European Solar Thermal industry. Valérie also highlighted the importance of the Solar Keymark certification and explained how standardisation and certification in Solar Thermal, particularly through the CEN/CENELEC Solar Keymark quality label, can significantly improve market access for manufacturers, build consumer trust and reduce costs.
In conclusion, better support for SME-driven solar thermal manufacturing is essential. These companies can make a meaningful contribution to a fully decarbonised energy system while strengthening Europe’s energy security and supporting local economies.