Demand for Europe-made PV production systems up 62% as European demand surpasses Asia

October 14, 2022
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
A third of all sales of European PV equipment were for module production in Q2. Image: Solar World

Demand for European-made PV production equipment jumped by 62% in Q2 2022, with European orders surpassing those from Asian countries for the first time, according to research by engineering industry association VDMA.

European manufacturers saw sales of their PV engineering systems rise 62% on Q1, with sales in Europe soaring by a factor of four. Similarly, European orders received in the first two quarters of 2022 have already exceeded the value of total European orders in 2021. And VDMA is expecting this sales growth to continue into Q3.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

A third of sales are attributable to systems for module production, said VDMA, which has been compiling such statistics since 2008.

“In the past, the Asian market was the largest for German PV production machines and system manufacturers, but orders in Europe have increased since the first quarter of 2022 and are expected to continue to increase,” said Jutta Trube, VDMA’s department head for Photovoltaic Production Equipment.

“Generally we expect to continue to see strong demand as various countries show increasing interest in new local PV production.”

Indeed, Europe, like the US and India, has been very explicit in its desire to establish a regional PV manufacturing base. However, while the US’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) looks set to turbocharge solar manufacturing and with India aiming to add 65GW of PV module manufacturing capacity through an extended incentive scheme, Europe is yet to announce a production strategy as coherent and well funded.

PV Tech Premium has reported how European solar PV manufacturers struggling with soaring electricity prices have flagged concerns that the continent is falling behind the US and India in terms of policy support for the sector.

“Currently countries like USA and India are introducing very attractive initiatives to boost PV production; the same is required in Europe,” said Peter Fath, managing director of RCT Solutions and chairman of the VDMA Photovoltaic Production Equipment department. 

“An increase in initiatives in Europe and the political will to establish PV production in the entire value chain, are an opportunity for the further use of PV production resources in the EU.” 

The CEOs of companies such as First Solar, BayWa r.e. and Meyer Burger have written to the European Commission (EC) to call for urgent action to support the redevelopment of European PV manufacturing.

On the same day, the EC formally endorsed a new Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance, with the aim of scaling up the manufacturing of innovative PV products and components.

Despite the strong demand statistics outlined by VDMA, European solar manufacturing is at increasing risk from high energy prices, with Maxeon forced to shutter one of its module facilities in France.

Around 35GW of PV manufacturing projects in Europe are at risk of being mothballed as elevated power prices damage the continent’s efforts to build a solar supply chain, research from Rystad Energy said.  

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

Premium
October 24, 2025
Marcel Suri explores the datasets that will help improve the accuracy of PV output estimation and drive better performance.
October 23, 2025
The average price of a solar PPA signed in Europe in Q3 2025 fell below €35/MWh, reaching €34.25/MWh, according to LevelTen Energy.
October 23, 2025
Aviva Investors and Astatine have announced an €800 million (US$928 million) investment in renewable energy and decarbonisation solutions.
October 22, 2025
Ingeteam’s Mauro Rivola discusses the rapidly growing appetite for co-located solar and storage in Southern Europe.
Premium
October 21, 2025
PV Tech Premium spoke with academic and industry experts about the rising tide of cybersecurity concerns in Europe's solar energy sector.
October 14, 2025
German IPP wpd has started construction at its 140.6MW Marcy solar park in the Nièvre department of central France.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Lisbon, Portugal