Fossil Fuels Are a Thing of the Past; The Future Is Renewable: The Smarter E Europe Concludes With a Clear Message

MUNICH & PFORZHEIM, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Packed halls, a vibrant atmosphere and a buzzing vibe – after three days, The smarter E Europe 2026, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, has come to a successful close. The event held at Messe München offered a glimpse of a future-oriented energy world powered by renewables. A strong signal with a clear message went out to the world from the Bavarian capital: The future is renewable. Renewable energies can help ensure a reliable, secure and cost-effective energy supply around the clock, seven days a week. A total of 2,650 exhibitors from 52 countries – many of whom had expanded their booth space compared with the previous year – demonstrated how this can work. More than 66 percent of exhibitors were from outside of Germany. They presented innovative and market-ready products ranging from virtual power plants, smart grid and load control, smart charging solutions, storage technologies and PV hybrid systems to digital platforms transparently and flexibly. The technical program began on June 22 and 23, 2026, with four specialist conferences as part of The smarter E Europe. Including the side events, more than 3,000 participants gathered for an intensive exchange of knowledge and discussions on the latest industry developments. At the exhibition grounds, approximately 105,000 trade visitors from 163 countries took the opportunity to learn about new trends across industries and sectors, to network and to gain insight into the energy system of tomorrow.

Across all 19 exhibition halls and the Outdoor Area, there was a palpable sense of enthusiasm for contributing to major societal change and advancing the energy transition. “We are in the midst of a global transformation toward a completely new energy system. We cannot stop this revolution and must seize all the opportunities that exhibitors have shown us," says energy expert and author Dr. Tim Meyer.

Affordable and grid-friendly

He also led a tour of the special exhibit Renewables 24/7 – Secure Energy for a Changing World, which was among the exhibition’s highlights. “Fossil fuels are a thing of the past; the future clearly belongs to renewables. Over the three days of the exhibition, we demonstrated through practical examples and scientific evidence that renewables provide reliability, resilience and efficiency while making economic sense. That is why the path toward a renewable future must be pursued consistently. There can be no turning back,” explains Markus Elsässer, founder and CEO of Solar Promotion GmbH. “This year, with our focus on Renewables 24/7, we addressed the right topic at the right time. We have shown that we are thinking ahead and helping shape the future,” says Jens Mohrmann, Managing Director of Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).

The smarter E Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).