Manufacturing
Towards an overarching strategy for the solar power sector
Solar power is the backbone of the future electricity system, guaranteeing EU citizens and businesses an affordable, secure, and clean electricity supply. In Europe, the market is currently on track to reach the EU Commission’s REPowerEU strategy target of 750 GWDC installed solar by 2030, up from 210 GWDC today.
This important market growth offers a unique opportunity to redevelop the solar PV industry in Europe and entrench strong green growth at the heart of our continent. This is critical to ensure a diversification of supply for the EU project development industry and their resilience to shocks, such as module shortages, as well as the increasing international competition for investments in solar PV supply chains. Strengthening solar manufacturing along the whole value chain will also increase the sustainability of the technology and support the green transition.
Europe has unique strengths to count on when reinvesting into a solar industry. Our highly-performing research and development ecosystem has particular advantage in the advanced technologies soon to dominate the market, such as heterojunction or perovskite. Europe also has an enduring industrial ecosystem.
For that purpose, the European Commission in coordination with SolarPower Europe, EIT and ESMC, has launched the Solar PV Industry Alliance, to reach the 30 GW of European manufacturing capacity by 2025 across all the value chain segments.
The EU is in the top-3 region filling high-value patents on solar PV technologies, together with Japan and South-Korea.
A solar PV integrated polysilicon to module factory can be globally competitive in Europe (Germany or Poland) if it reaches 5 GW capacity.
The EU industry set itself the objective of reaching a 30 GW manufacturing capacity by 2025, such target will require around €30 billion investment.
The Manufacturing workstream
The Manufacturing workstream
The Manufacturing workstream aims to foster the right conditions to redevelop solar PV manufacturing in the EU, through a decisive European industrial policy. It monitors and inputs the different critical EU legislative files expected in the coming years that support the solar PV industry. It also supports EU industrial projects in accessing different support mechanisms, from State Aid frameworks to European funds and green public procurement rules.
"Europe is a solar industry leader. The European solar industry is a front runner in R&D and manufacturing of equipment, inverters, raw and processing materials. Now is the moment to create a strong industrial basis for our sector for generations to come."
Our major accomplishments
Manufacturing accomplishments
- Launched the European Solar Initiative in May 2020 with the Solar Manufacturing Accelerator, and presented 10 breakthrough projects to the Commission and European Investment Bank
- Developed and presented an analysis of the solar PV value chain to EU policy makers
- Drafted a Strategic Action Plan to redevelop 20 GW of production capacity in Europe by 2025
Interview with Christian Westermeier, chair of workstream
Within the workstream, solar companies join forces to have a more powerful position vis a vis the Commission and to push for a stronger engagement of the EU to support the revival of an EU solar manufacturing. This would also serve the target to have an EU solar industry complying with environmental and social standards in its production.
Read the interview
Downloads
Empowering EU countries to establish solar resilience auctions
For an EU regulatory environment that allows Member States to apply non price criteria in specific solar PV 'resilience auctions', 'resilient renewable energy support schemes' (consumers), and 'resilience procurement.'
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Saving European Solar Manufacturing
Understand the market conditions resulting in record low solar prices. Discover how this impacts the reshoring of European solar manufacturing. Explore our solutions.
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Inverters Explained
Setting an EU inverter manufacturing target. Ensuring harmonised technical standards. Pairing inverters and non-firm grid connections to support the grid.
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Maximising the Net-Zero Industry Act
Revise State Aid rules. Establish a dedicated European financial instrument. Further clarification of non-price criteria. Net Zero Industry Academies inclusion of industry stakeholders.
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Manufacturing workstream Chair
Manufacturing workstream Vice Chair
Members of the Manufacturing workstream
