French bid to revive EU PV makers draws praise, scepticism

June 25, 2019
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Experts appeared split on whether PV manufacturing can create the highly paid, quality jobs Europeans want (Credit: Flickr / Dmitry Dzhus)

France’s success odds with a plan to re-energise European PV manufacturing remain a divisive topic for solar experts, PV Tech found as part of a yet-to-be-published feature.

Conversations for an article in the upcoming PV Tech Power issue revealed mixed feelings for a new government roadmap, seeking to bring back upstream “champions” within 10 years.

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

Dr. Andreas W. Bett, director of Fraunhofer ISE, said he was “very pleased” to see Paris spearhead a comeback of European manufacturers, now majorly outcompeted by Chinese rivals.

“Europe lost the battle in the past but there’s a second race coming. We looked recently at the figures and saw cost differences with Asia are now very, very small,” Bett argued.  

The director admitted European manufacturing will need scale and an entire supply chain to keep up with Asia. “If we’re not competitive, we’ll have a political dependency on imports,” he said.

Jenny Chase of BloombergNEF was more sceptical. “I don’t think it makes sense to manufacture in Europe … it doesn’t necessarily create the high-tech jobs Europeans want,” the solar analyst argued.

“If people put enough money into it then you can probably do it but solar manufacturing is a pretty tough business to be in…Half the firms I’ve ever written about have gone bankrupt,” Chase added.

At various degrees, the experts agreed that environmentally-friendly products, R&D and a partial refocus on battery making are all avenues European makers can explore to gain advantage.

Bett noted the strong policy support EU battery specialists already enjoy – which he linked to car makers – while Chase said batteries' complexity creates more potential for highly paid jobs than with PV.

The full story, featuring the views of Fraunhofer ISE, BNEF and others, will be part of PV Tech Power’s Volume 20, scheduled for publication around September 2019. Subscribe for free now

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

October 30, 2025
Scatec posted development and construction (D&C) revenues of NOK1,760 million (US$175.1 million) in the third quarter of this year.
October 30, 2025
Global net zero by 2050 is now “impossible” and the world is on course for temperature rises of 2.6°C, according to energy market analyst Wood Mackenzie.
Premium
October 29, 2025
Damage to solar from so-called Natural Catastrophe events is increasing as the technology expands its reach and weather conditions worsen.
October 29, 2025
Greenvolt and European Energy have finalised financial deals for solar-plus-storage projects in Denmark and Latvia.
October 28, 2025
GreenYellow plans to invest US$116 million in Poland over the next three years to expand its installed capacity and customer base.
Premium
October 28, 2025
BESS are 'the new player that everyone is talking about,' in Europe’s power purchase agreement (PPA) space, according to LevelTen.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
November 12, 2025
10am PST / 1pm EST
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