The need to get off Russian oil and gas will drive a realignment in priorities.

Geopolitics and energy have always been closely intertwined and the current debate around Europe’s energy needs are a clear example of that.

While the United States is a net exporter of natural gas and oil, the situation for many European countries is different.

In the case of natural gas, Germany imports natural gas for its needs in industry as well as domestic usage, with Italy and France in a similar position.

As regards to rebalancing the energy mix away from oil, alternatives abound from offshore and onshore wind to solar projects in both PV and CSP.

Natural gas is a more complicated beast however.

One alternative is Anaerobic digestion or AD. AD has not been developed on a large-scale in the necessary level and therefore remains many years away from being a potential replacement.

Natural gas is used for heating homes and as a result this is an example of a problem that could be alleviated with improved insulation.

Modern houses can be designed to optimise heat loss, however for tens of millions of properties across the European continent this may be impossible to achieve in the short-to-medium term given the extensive costs and times in need.

As we move towards a need to balance energy needs with energy security we are likely to see a ramp up in investments in both early-stage as well as legacy and developed technology across the renewables landscape.

Investors should consider the opportunities to those able to generate renewable energy for millions of European citizens, as well as the possibilities in integration with renewable energy generation systems and energy storage.

The energy map has to take account of future and existing needs, the possibilities emerging from early-stage technologies as well as the need to balance European energy demands as soon as possible.