The Innovation Exchange Area of Intersolar Europe in Munich on June 14th was packed to the rafters. The Joint Forces for Solar initiative was host to the 4th PV Briefing & Networking Forum Europe. Due to the huge turnout, plenty of visitors were forced to stand while following experts presentations and discussions. At 4pm, Markus A.W. Hoehner, CEO of EuPD Research, kicked things off with background information on the European markets.
Amongst other things, he dealt with the shift in sales channels, occurring in numerous countries, from indirect to direct sales. In addition, Mr. Hoehner gave an informative presentation, European PV Market Update & Outlook Trends & Challenges for 2012 which was dedicated to the PV 2.0, the era of photovoltaic technology beyond feed-in-tariffs. Discussion on an era beyond feed-in-tariffs David Owen, CEO of Solar Media Ltd., moderated the subsequent panel discussion which started by looking at the developments shown in the previous presentation. The one hour panel discussion consisted of Andrea Bodenhagen, Marketing Director EMEA, CSUN, Armin Schöntag, Marketing Manager, Lightway Solar, Matthias Altieri, Managing Director, Head of Solar Energy, Thomas Lloyd Group, Zhongping Wu, Technical Marketing Manager Europe, Sungrow Power Supply, Gaëtan Masson, Head of Business Intelligence, EPIA and Gerhard Stryi-Hipp, Head of Energy Policy, Fraunhofer ISE. Participants were unanimous in the fact that the photovoltaic technology has become competitive rather quickly, thanks to strong growth.
With 22 GW in 2011 alone, it was the energy source with the strongest year of growth in Europe and the panelists are of the opinion that grid parity has been reached in numerous European countries. Thanks to previous developments, PV is now also seen as a serious source of energy – even by traditional energy utilities. Further developments expected in 2012 see greater development of the residential and commercial segments in Germany and large scale systems in southern Europe. Together with one voice However on the flip side, due to the growth in this sector, the industry has been faced with some negative publicity. Targets for the development of renewable energies have been set by national governments, but funding issues have not been adequately addressed.
To counter the ever emerging discussions about promotion or too much promotion, the industry must speak with one voice. It is necessary to contravene the preconception that photovoltaic technology is expensive, particularly in media, with valid arguments. It was also highlighted that traditional energy sources are promoted indirectly through subsidies and that the process should be more transparent. In spite of many disconcerting insolvency news from within the branch, todays event shows that market participants are looking forward to future challenges indeed with respect but also confidence, commented Daniel Fuchs, Manager Global of Joint Forces for Solar initiative.
If you would like to take part in future events or would like more information about the initiative, please feel free to contact Mr. Daniel Fuchs (fuchs@jointforces4solar.com | +49 228 42966 45). You can find more information about the Joint Forces for Solar Initiative on our website at: http://eu.jointforces4solar.com/
http://eu.jointforces4solar.com/events/4th-pv-briefing-munich.html
