With onshore wind accounting for 90 percent of all new installations in 2025, the region added 17.2 GW in a single year, a new record.
The momentum behind development remains strong. Yet as the market scales and portfolios grow, success is increasingly defined not only by how much capacity is built, but by how consistently and effectively those assets perform over time.
That shift is being accelerated by real-world constraints. Grid connection bottlenecks are slowing development, while curtailment and intermittency are creating growing challenges for economics and public perception. In that environment, performance is crucial. Renewable assets must deliver maximum value from every connected megawatt, as reliably and predictably as possible.
This is also why Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) growth matters. Storage helps manage intermittency, reduce the impact of curtailment, and support grid stability, strengthening both project economics and the system’s experience of renewables.
It is within this context that independent renewable energy company RES has surpassed 3 GW of solar and BESS under operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts in Northern Europe, contributing to a total regional services portfolio of 4 GW across wind, solar and storage. The milestone reflects strong commercial momentum and signals a broader market evolution: operational excellence is becoming a catalyst for continued growth.
Performance as a growth engine
“The renewables sector has entered what I would call the performance-powered phase,” says Juan Gutiérrez, CEO Services at RES.
“For years, the industry’s primary challenge was deployment — scaling technology, securing capital and building supply chains. That remains essential. But today, high-performing assets are also demonstrating the long-term value of renewables, helping to unlock the next generation of projects by reinforcing confidence in their returns. And performance doesn’t happen by chance, it is the result of consistent maintenance, strong operational practices and a long‑term mindset”
Across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Norway and Sweden, portfolios are expanding rapidly. Solar and storage are driving growth, with RES supporting 3.4 GW of these technologies under O&M in Northern Europe alone. Globally, the company now manages more than 45GW of renewable assets.
Juan Gutiérrez emphasises that scale creates insight and insight drives value.
“Scale gives you data, and data gives your insight,” he explains. “When you manage gigawatts across multiple technologies and markets, you develop pattern recognition — you understand optimisation levers, performance drivers and regulatory nuances. And when you combine those insights with robust operational and maintenance foundations, Asset Management and advanced digital tools, you can anticipate issues early and keep assets performing safely and reliably over their full lifetime.”
Storage strengthens the investment case
The rise of battery energy storage is further enhancing the role of performance in supporting market growth.
Battery storage complements wind and solar generation, enabling more flexible and responsive energy systems. As deployment accelerates, well-managed storage assets are demonstrating how renewables can deliver consistent commercial value while supporting system efficiency and flexibility.
“Battery storage brings new dimensions to renewable portfolios,” says the CEO of Services at RES. “Performance is measured in milliseconds, and value depends on how intelligently assets are operated within the market. This requires a blend of deep operational expertise and digital optimisation. When storage is managed proactively and maintained with a focus on long‑term reliability, it reinforces the overall investment case for renewables.”
Recent UK contracts illustrate the scale and sophistication of this evolution, including asset management for the 500 MW/1GWh Coalburn battery project - one of Europe’s largest BESS facilities - and O&M for the 373 MW Cleve Hill Solar Park. Portfolio renewals such as the five-year agreement with The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) reflect growing investor confidence in independent service providers with multi-technology expertise.
Hybridisation is also accelerating.
“We increasingly see wind, solar and storage co-located,” notes Juan Gutiérrez, CEO of Services at RES. “Optimising hybrid sites enhances overall asset value and demonstrates how integrated renewable portfolios can deliver strong, stable performance. And once again, strong maintenance practices, supported by technology, are essential to ensuring these complex systems work together seamlessly.”
Digitalisation underpins long-term value
As portfolios expand and mature, digitalisation is becoming central to maintaining high levels of performance and reliability. Advanced monitoring, predictive analytics and data-driven optimisation are enabling asset owners to maximise availability, extend asset life and enhance commercial outcomes.
RES formalised its digital solutions business in 2024, integrating remote monitoring, predictive analytics and performance optimisation into its core services offering.
“Data-driven asset management allows us to enhance performance, extend component life and optimise operational strategies,” says the CEO of Services at RES. “We often see small early‑warning signals, subtle anomalies that, if ignored, can become much bigger problems. By acting early, we prevent issues before they arise and protect both people and the wider system. This is why maintenance is not a cost; it’s an investment in safety, reliability and long‑term performance.”
He notes that digitalisation is also key as early renewable projects mature.
“Europe now has significant volumes of wind and solar capacity entering more established stages of operation. Owners are focused on maintaining performance, extending asset life and sustaining returns. Strong operational outcomes demonstrate that renewable assets can continue delivering value over decades and that strengthens the case for further build-out.”
Independence and market confidence
As the services market evolves, independent asset management providers are gaining prominence alongside OEM-led models. RES recently maintained second place in Wood Mackenzie’s global Solar PV O&M rankings and remains the independent provider with the broadest geographical reach in the sector.
For Juan Gutiérrez, independence supports long-term alignment with asset owners and investors.
“Investors want partners focused on maximising asset value over the long term,” he says. That means staying close to the assets — understanding their behaviour, maintaining them proactively and continually improving performance. When operational performance is consistently strong, it builds confidence in renewable investments and supports continued expansion across markets.”
Northern Europe’s diversity further reinforces the importance of adaptable, high-performing service models.
“This region is not a single homogeneous market,” he adds. “Each country has its own regulatory framework, grid structure and commercial model. Strong local expertise combined with international scale enables knowledge transfer across markets and that helps ensure renewable assets perform reliably wherever they are deployed.”
Performance driving the next wave of development
Looking ahead, Juan Gutiérrez believes operational excellence will play an increasingly central role in enabling continued renewable growth.
“Europe has demonstrated that it can deploy renewable capacity at scale,” he concludes. “Now, consistently high performance across operating assets, supported by strong services, proactive maintenance and advanced digital capabilities, is reinforcing the investment case for the next generation of projects. When portfolios deliver reliable, predictable returns, they accelerate future development.”
In this context, asset performance is not a shift away from development, it is a powerful enabler of it.
For Northern Europe, where electrification, hybridisation and storage deployment are advancing rapidly, high-performing operational portfolios are helping to secure long-term value and unlock continued expansion.
And increasingly, they are proving that operational excellence and development momentum go hand in hand.
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