SET-PLAN : in a new communication, the Commission indicated that the transition to a renewable-energy based economy would necessitate an annuel investment of about 8 billion euros by 2020.

On October 7th, 2009, the European Commission published a Communication intitled "Investing in the Development of Low Carbon Technologies (SET-Plan)." This communication presented the Commission analysis of the investment needed in order to fund the iniatives of the SET-Plan.

Launched in 2007, the SET-Plan (or "Strategic Energy Technology Plan) aims to provide the European Union with a new research agenda in the field of low-carbon energy technologies.

As such, the Commission, industry and researchers have drawn up road maps for research, development and demonstration of 6 key technologies:

The Commission believes that in order to achieve the objectives of the SET-Plan, an additional investment to the tune of 50 billion euros will be necessary over the next 10 years - some 5 billion  extra euros per year. It emphasizes the fact that this investment should mostly come from the private sector and from EU Member states. Nontheless, given the current economic recession, and in particular for fields where there is the most risk, Europe will play an important financial role in the future through several instruments:

In addition, the EU has launched a new initiative known as "Smart Cities" to ease the commercial succes of energy technologies vis-à-vis the greater public in 30 or so European cities.