European Commission

Greece has grand plans for an interconnector network that runs from the Middle East through to the heart of Europe. pv magazine examines the latest developments on the road to a Mediterranean super grid and what it might mean for the regions involved.

The European Commission (EC) has proposed the European Solar Charter (ESC) in response to the challenges facing the continent’s solar manufacturing industry. The document sets out a series of voluntary actions to be undertaken to support the EU photovoltaic sector and bears no mention of EU trade tariffs or restrictions on cheap solar panel imports.

Margrethe Vestager, the executive vice president of the European Commission, said this week that the EU authorities are investigating the deployment of several wind farms in Spain, Greece, France, Romania and Bulgaria.

The European Commission has approved €1 billion ($1.08 billion) of Greek measures under EU state-aid rules to support two utility-scale solar projects with lithium-ion batteries and molten-salt thermal storage. The funds will take the form of a contract for difference (CfD) over a period of 20 years.

The European Commission is set to work with the solar sector on a co-programmed European Partnership, designed to enhance research and innovation. SolarPower Europe says the announcement is a “significant step for the industry”.

Electricity market liberalization and private sector development of solar and energy storage in Cyprus continue to be delayed. pv magazine’s Ilias Tsagas looks at why independent power producers are frustrated by electricity curtailment and a lack of market reform.

The European Commission has warned about the potential impact of trade measures on Europe’s renewable energy rollout, but has shied away from outlining emergency measures to address the continent’s solar manufacturing crisis.

Sixty-one heat pump industry chiefs have signed a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, warning that delaying the EU Heat Pump Action Plan jeopardizes a key net-zero European industry.

In November 2022, Germany’s Energie Baden Württemberg and steelmaker Salzgitter Group signed one of Europe’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for hydrogen production. More have followed and with the European Union introducing rules to govern green hydrogen, an industry is planning for its future.

Northvolt is set to secure €902 million ($986 million) of state aid to build a battery gigafactory in northern Germany, while France has been allocated €2.9 billion to ramp up production of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and heat pumps, according to a European Commission announcement.