This 90-minute hybrid workshop brought together six low-TRL (technology readiness level) EU-funded research & innovation projects (REGEN-BY-2, SELECTCO2, CITYSOLAR, PRODIGIO, X-ROTOR, and TELEGRAM) developing the next generation of renewable energy technologies that will form the backbone of the energy system by 2030 and 2050. The workshop provided the opportunity for experts to present and share ideas on how their projects are dealing with the challenge of developing these new, more efficient, and cost-competitive energy generation and conversion technologies, which are currently in the early phases of research, and demonstrating their potential value in the future European energy system. In line with the revised Renewable Energy Directive, which entered into force in 2018 as part of the ‘Clean energy for all Europeans’ package, setting a binding renewable energy target for 2030 of at least 32% of the overall consumed energy in the EU, these new technologies must not only have a commercial potential but they should also reduce the environmental impact and greenhouse gases emissions of the current energy system, stimulate the creation of high-tech industries and strengthen the EU’s global leadership in renewable energy sources.