1 December 2023
Today, Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for the Internal Market, hosted a ministerial meeting on the European solar photovoltaic (PV) industry under the umbrella of the European Solar PV Industry Alliance. Marking the first anniversary of the Alliance, this virtual meeting gathered Ministers from the European Union and Norway, as well as representatives of the European Investment Bank and the European solar PV sector.
The aim of the meeting was to address current challenges and possible solutions for bringing back solar PV manufacturing to Europe. Special focus was put on narrowing the cost gap between imported and European production and leveraging the value of European production. This has become a particular problem over recent months, as global overcapacity resulting in historically low prices of imported modules have led to several European PV manufacturers to reduce or halt production due to growing inventories.
During the meeting, Member States exchanged and shared best practices on mobilising existing financial tools at national and Union-level. The meeting also covered how to use non-price award criteria, such as social, environmental or diversification considerations, in procurement processes and auctions. Finally, Commissioner Breton announced the launch of a new Solar Academy to tackle the large skills gap in the sector by designing specific learning content, with the aim of training 100,000 workers in the next three years.
Commissioner Thierry Breton said: “In 2023, we will exceed the REPowerEU objectives of installed solar power generation capacity. But of the 60 Gigawatts of solar panels that will be installed, only 3% are produced in Europe. We are more committed than ever to boost European manufacturing of solar panels along the whole value chain with favourable regulatory and financing conditions. It’s a matter of energy resilience, competitiveness and jobs for our fellow citizens.”
The European Solar PV Alliance was set up in 2022 and has already established a solid pipeline of projects, with over 20 announced projects announced across the solar value chain. These projects could supply a significant portion of the deployment target outlined in the REPowerEU strategy, aiming to install 40 GW annually.
Official Press Release: Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
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Meyer Burger and NorSun, both active members of the European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA), have recently secured significant financial support from the EU Innovation Fund.