The EU has published the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) in the Official Journal of the European Union, meaning the act will come into force on 29 June 2024 for all 27 member states.
Member states of the EU can apply the NZIA provisions in public procurement, auctions and other forms of public intervention. The NZIA states that the EU’s annual capacity for the production of net zero products, such as solar panels, should meet at least 40% of the bloc’s annual deployment needs by 2030.
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The NZIA also stipulates that the EU needs to ensure a regulatory environment for solar PV manufacturers to increase their competitive edge and improve the security of supply perspectives, reaching at least 30GW of operational PV manufacturing capacity by 2030 across the full PV value chain.
Other policies under the NZIA include setting up national programmes to support the massive deployment of rooftop solar, and the deployment of European Net-Zero Industry Academies to develop education and training programmes to upskill and reskill people required for key net zero technology value chains.
During Intersolar Europe 2024, Dutch investment platform EIT InnoEnergy launched the European Solar Academy to help train 65,000 people to work in the European PV sector. The academy is one of the Net-Zero Academies, implemented by the European Commission (EC). The academy will be operated by the InnoEnergy Skills Institute.
In a statement, the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) said it “strongly advocates” for the early implementation of NZIA provisions in member states public procurement and auctions.
“From now on, the competitiveness of the European PV manufacturing industry will be in the hands of the member states. As the legal instrument has already been launched, we are highly expecting that the member states will turn on the green light for sustainable and resilient European-made solar modules in public procurement, auctions, and other national schemes,” said the ESMC.
The NZIA was adopted by the European Council on 27 May 2024, after a European Parliament vote on 25 April 2024.
The act was first proposed by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in February 2023.
