SolarPower Europe welcomes the inclusion of clean energy technologies within the IAA framework, and the introduction of Union-origin requirements for public procurement, renewable energy auctions and support schemes.
But the design and the implementation of these will be crucial to ensure European solar manufacturing expands, the supply chain is competitive and unconstrained and power prices are not driven up for citizens or Europe’s wider industrial base.
SolarPower Europe Recommendations on the Industrial Accelerator Act Proposal
This paper sets out SolarPower Europe’s suggested amendments to the IAA. These reflect broad industry consensus, which aim to safeguard market growth, affordability, and security of supply while contributing effectively to EU industrial objectives.
Read the paper
The paper includes suggested amendments and the rationale behind them. Our key recommendations are as follows:
Ensure a meaningful “Made in EU” approach
The Union-origin definition should remain targeted (e.g. EU/EEA/CH/UK), avoiding overly broad extensions to FTAs and customs unions that dilute the objective of strengthening EU manufacturing. Made in Europe should really mean ‘made from Europe’.
Introduce a phased approach across market segments (procurement, auctions, support schemes)
Phase I: PV inverters.
Phase II: PV inverters + PV cells (or equivalent).
For auctions specifically
Apply Union-origin requirements only as award criteria, not as pre-qualification, to preserve competition and avoid undersubscribed tenders.
Ensure coherence with the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA)
To avoid overlapping or conflicting requirements and unnecessary administrative burden.
Adopt a phased and proportionate approach to foreign direct investment (FDI)
To attract much needed international capital and enable scaling of EU manufacturing. FDI conditionalities should also be introduced in a phased approach to help build capacity while avoiding supply bottlenecks in the scale-up phase.
Alignment with the Cybersecurity Act (CSA2)
Alignment with the Cybersecurity Act on high-risk suppliers is key. The IAA should not preclude any outcomes under the CSA revision.
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