European Union

The collapse of module prices in 2023 has fueled speculation around just how much PV supply is held in European warehouses. How big the stockpile is depends on who you ask but such a broad spectrum of opinion shows there is room for improvement in how the solar industry shares data.

PV has real potential on agricultural land in Italy, where multinationals and entrepreneurs alike share an enthusiasm for solar innovation. This is being hindered by a piecemeal approach to regulation.

Europe awakened to its energy dependency on Russian gas as the Russia-Ukraine conflict unfolded and the war has pushed the European Union to accelerate its energy transition. Italy could play an important role.

The European Council today announced policies aimed at targeting sectors – such as transport, industry and buildings – that are ‘slow’ to adopting the recently cemented 45% by 2030 renewable energy goal.

Warnings about the need to decentralize Ukraine’s electricity grid, made 10 years before the Russian invasion, fell on deaf ears at the time. In the wake of war, nations across Eastern and Central Europe are alive to the risks embodied in traditional energy networks.

Practical matters, beyond simply improving on solar cell efficiency, have led the agenda at the European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference (EUPVSEC) going on this week in Lisbon. Policy and the geopolitics of solar manufacturing is the big question on everybody’s lips as the event passes its halfway point today. Concerns including grid integration, critical materials consumption, and public acceptance are all being aired frequently – illustrating a closer than ever link between work being done in the labs at solar energy institutes and the everyday lives and energy consumption of people in Europe and around the world.

A lack of clear policy support, raw material dependency, and higher production costs are inhibiting the localization of European solar manufacturing, despite strong demand.

The European Union’s new renewable energy directive says that around 100 GW of wind power and PV should be built on the continent every year.

A flurry of clean energy announcements in the European Union this year bodes well for the expansion of renewables but there will be a race against time to get key legislation adopted before next summer’s European elections.

Solar is not only helping to keep the lights on in Ukraine – it also has a vital role as part of Europe’s energy transition and clean energy economy.