New data from European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA) members forecasts that the industry is on track to build over 30GW of annual manufacturing capacity across the PV value chain, with more than 20 new PV pipeline projects.
The alliance, formed in December 2022, cautioned that the EU’s 30GW annual solar PV manufacturing capacity goal by 2025 can only be exceeded with the right policy support.
ESIA, launched by the European Commission, with EIT InnoEnergy as Secretariat, and supported by SolarPower Europe and the European Solar Manufacturing Council, has based its conclusion upon data collected from various members.
Projections are derived from business figures from over 20 new PV pipeline projects, covering polysilicon production, ingots, cells and modules manufacturing.
The findings come as ESIA, formed in December 2022, revealed its working groups’ comprehensive action plan at Intersolar Europe in Munich.
The action plan brings together expertise from over 120 organisations across 17 countries within Europe’s solar PV value chain to progress work in four key areas: non pricing criteria, supply chain challenges, financial instruments, and skills, with several initial outputs already brought to the European Commission for further discussion.
A key focus of the action plan is improving international supply chain competitiveness and considerations including energy costs, sustainability, recycling, and traceability.
An analysis to close the gap in European PV value chain OPEX and CAPEX costs and those experienced in other parts of the world has been completed and will now serve the exploration of possible financial instruments to stimulate growth.
Kerstin Jorna, Director-General of the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission, said: “The Commission strongly supports the European Solar PV Industry Alliance’s mission to boost solar PV manufacturing in the EU.
“As set out in the Net-Zero Industry Act, our goal is to overcome regulatory obstacles that hinder the expansion of net-zero technologies, with solar PV being a vital component, ultimately enhancing the EU’s energy resilience and competitiveness.
“By harmonising permitting for PV gigafactories and smaller PV manufacturing facilities across the internal market, the Net-Zero Industry Act will promote investment certainty.
“Furthermore, the recently updated Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework complements the upcoming Net-Zero Industry Act by allowing governments to provide support for investments throughout the net-zero supply chains.
“To accomplish our objective of achieving a solar PV manufacturing capacity of 30GW across the entire supply chain in the EU by 2025, we must capitalise on this new policy framework.
“And in this endeavour, the European Solar PV Industry will play a pivotal role.”