European Solar Leaders call on EU Commission and Member States to develop solar industrial strategy in 2022

Eight leading European solar developers have written to the European Commission and Council to request a European strategy for the solar PV value chain in 2022.  

The European solar market is experiencing exponential, unprecedented, growth, and is set to exceed European Commission projections for solar by 2030. Current market forecasts anticipate 585 GW of solar installed by 2030, 20% higher than the European Commission’s prediction of 479 GW. By 2025 this growth will sustain half a million clean, green, solar jobs, and support millions of additional jobs in the renewable hydrogen and battery industries.  

In that context, French, German, Irish, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish solar developers, convened by SolarPower Europe, are appealing to EU leaders to ensure the strategic resilience of the solar value chain. Europe is a global leader in future solar cell technologies, but the continent must go further and faster to produce more solar cells and panels in Europe. As the solar PV capacity grows, reinvesting in a critical solar manufacturing capacity, from polysilicon to module, is key to ensure future-proof, cost-efficient and rapid deployment of solar PV capacities.  

Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, commented: “An industry can only develop sustainably if it has a comprehensive vision for its supply chain, and we must continue to expand the EU solar industry to meet the continent’s climate commitments. Following the work of the European Solar Initiative, European solar developers are calling on the Commission and the Competitiveness Council to support the redevelopment of critical manufacturing capacities, and endorse a strategy for the EU solar PV value chain in 2022.” 

Naomi Chevillard, Senior Policy Advisor at SolarPower Europe, commented: “We need a comprehensive strategy to redevelop globally competitive and innovative solar factories in Europe. This includes unlocking industrial investments into industrial projects and paving the way for a stable solar market in Europe while ensuring a level playing field for EU companies. With the right actions in place, a 20-GW manufacturing capacity could create 19,000 clean, green manufacturing jobs. This will be crucial to fight climate change while protecting the strategic autonomy of Europe’s energy.” 

The letter addressed to President von der Leyen, Vice-President Timmermans, and Commissioners Simson and Breton, alongside European Heads of States and Government, is signed by the CEOs and senior Directors or other Executives of Akuo Energy, Amarenco Group, BayWa r.e., EDF, Enel Green Power, ENGIE, Iberdrola, and Vattenfall Solar.