Building Europe's solar powerhouse

This month marks the 1 year anniversary of a momentous moment for solar power. On 18 May 2022, the European Commission published the first-of-its-kind, EU Solar Strategy, as part of the wider REPower EU package in response to the Russian war in Ukraine.

The EU Solar Strategy saw an unprecedented level of commitment from the EU, for the energy source that will power us through the energy and climate crises: solar. The package raised solar ambition to 750 GW by 2030, committed to putting solar on all European rooftops, vowed to power up the solar workforce and boost European solar manufacturing.

A year on, we have seen the launch of the European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA) and the large-scale skills partnership for renewables; both of which, SolarPower Europe are proud to play a key role in. We have also witnessed emergency EU regulation to accelerate permitting times for solar projects. Watch our video series explaining the key points of the EU’s RES booster here.

The solar industry in the EU grew by almost 50% in 2022, to 41 GW, equal to powering 12 million more homes with solar. Yet, we are only at the beginning of making a solar powered Europe. To become a true solar power house, we must reinforce regulatory stability and make sure we have enough hands to install the solar we need. 

We can’t forget, as solar grows, so does the risk of curtailment – which we’ve seen in parts of the continent last month. The topic of strengthening grids and storage capacity is at the forefront of our minds.  We’ve just launched the Energy Storage Coalition with our partners to make sure we don’t waste a single ray of sunshine in the energy transition.

We’re also redoubling our efforts to support the factories making solar equipment – from raw material processing, all the way to inverters. Expect even more action from us in coming weeks and months, as we make sure the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan is fit for purpose. A key date for your diary is the two-part ESIA Forum taking place on Wednesday 14th June at Intersolar. We hope to see you there as we will be joined by leading European solar manufacturers and policymakers.

Whether you’re installing solar on rooftops or farms, manufacturing polysilicon or inverters, rolling out next-gen energy software or developing hyper-efficient mounting systems – we want you to be at the heart of all that SolarPower Europe does. Check out how you can get involved with our work here. Let’s make the ambition of the EU Solar Strategy happen together!

As final remark, I would like to remind you of our ongoing Solar Supports Ukraine fundraiser led by SolarPower Europe, BSW and the Ukrainian Solar Energy Association. Please consider donating to this campaign as we raise funds to install solar panels on hospital and schools in Ukraine. Donate here. 

Meyer Burger