The European Commission (EC) is formally endorsing a new Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance with the aim of scaling up the manufacturing of innovative PV products and components.
Due to be launched by the end of the year, the alliance will bring together industrial actors, research institutes, consumer associations, NGOs and other stakeholders with an interest in the solar PV sector.
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As well as delivering an action plan for Europe’s solar value chain, the initiative is expected to engage with the EU and member states on issues such as research and innovation, technology, raw materials, access to finance, off-takers, international partnerships and global supply chain resilience, sustainability and skills.
“With the alliance’s support, the EU could reach 30GW of annual solar energy manufacturing capacity by 2025 across the full PV value chain,” said Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the internal market.
According to SolarPower Europe, the EC is building the alliance on the foundation of the European Solar Initiative, launched last year by the trade body and innovation group EIT InnoEnergy.
“Work on the new alliance comes at a crucial time,” said Dries Acke, policy director at SolarPower Europe. “In a globally competitive solar manufacturing landscape, diversifying the value chain and boosting European solar PV manufacturing will reinforce the European Commission’s energy security and solar deployment ambitions.”
The alliance is one of the concrete initiatives of the EU Solar Energy Strategy, adopted in May 2022 as part of the REPowerEU Plan.
The EC said its endorsement paves the way for a call for membership to the alliance to be published in November.
