Introduction
The CapTech Energy and Environment (EnE) is the EU forum where energy, environmental, and defence experts, industry, and academia come together to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the EU’s armed forces.
By leveraging shared resources and diverse expertise, the CapTech EnE plays an important role in reducing energy dependencies, addressing logistical vulnerabilities and accelerating the deployment of innovative dual-use solutions.
This multinational cooperation reduces long-term costs and boosts operational effectiveness. It is also essential for reinforcing EU’s strategic autonomy in a changing climate.
Technology Building Blocks
Technology Building Blocks (TBBs) are the specific technological focus areas that guide the CapTech’s activities and research priorities. The CapTech EnE has identified eight key TBBs:
Energy System Cluster
- Energy Generation: development and integration of energy production solutions ensuring secure, reliable and autonomous supply for defence applications across fixed and deployable infrastructures.
- Energy Transmission and Distribution: resilient and secure energy networks enabling efficient transmission and distribution across fixed installations and deployable energy systems in diverse operational environments
- Energy Management: implementation of advanced energy management systems to optimise consumption, enhance operational awareness, and support decision-making across fixed and deployable defence energy systems.
- Energy Storage: development of energy storage solutions to ensure continuity of supply, increase system flexibility, and enhance resilience across fixed infrastructures and deployable capabilities in contested environments.
- Energy Consumption: optimisation of energy use across defence platforms, installations, and deployable systems to improve efficiency, reduce logistical dependencies, and limit operational vulnerabilities.
Strategic Technologies Cluster
- Small, micro and nano modular reactors (xMR): assessment and potential integration of advanced modular nuclear technologies to provide reliable, low-carbon and autonomous energy solutions for fixed and deployable defence applications across operational theatres.
System Resilience Cluster
- Environment and Resource Resilience: strengthening the sustainable use of resources and environmental adaptation of defence systems across fixed installations and deployed operations to ensure long-term effectiveness and regulatory compliance.
- Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure: enhancing the protection of defence-related energy infrastructure, including fixed and deployable assets, against physical, cyber and hybrid threats to ensure continuity of operations.
Together, these technology building blocks ensure that EDA’s R&T efforts directly support the development of a resilient, autonomous, and environmentally responsible European defence capability.
Link to EDA’s capability domains
The CapTech Energy and Environment supports several EDA capability domains, including:
- Critical infrastructure protection and energy security: Propelling the transition to secure, autonomous, and resilient energy supplies for defence installations and deployed forces.
- Sustainable and agile logistics: Enabling energy-efficient transport, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and shortening logistical chains, which improves force protection and lowers operational risk.
The CapTech EnE also contributes to Ground Combat Capabilities and Future Soldier Systems.
By aligning with these capability domains, CapTech EnE ensures that its efforts directly support the energy resilience of European armed forces. It aims to enable longer operational endurance and improved readiness in the face of climate and energy-related challenges.
Join the CapTech
The CapTech EnE convenes two to three times a year. All information is shared via EDA’s online collaborative workspace. In addition to the CapTech meetings, EDA organises workshops dedicated to specific topics to investigate areas and promote cooperation.
You can submit a request for membership to the CapTech moderator. The applications are subject to approval by the respective CapTech National Coordinator. The approval of the CNC is necessary for becoming a Governmental Expert (CGE) or non-Governmental Expert (CnGE), and for your participation in a CapTech event.
To become a member of the CapTech (CGE or CnGE), please contact us at:
[email protected] or
[email protected]