L R AS Published on Saturday 25 November 2023 - n° 467 - Categories:Europe
Following the vote on the European Net Zero Industry Act
European solar lobby groups have for the most part welcomed the European net-zero industry law recently backed by the European Parliament. Two groups
are divided over a clause in the law that limits the use by tendered projects of technology partly produced outside Europe.
The EU text states that unspecified limits should be imposed on procurement and tendering projects using carbon-neutral technology from outside the EU. The aim is not to "exacerbate" dependence on other countries for clean technologies, the legislation states.
SolaPower Europe believes that this requirement is a "wake-up call" for the solar sector and "for those committed to the EU's energy security and climate goals". "It introduces pre-qualification criteria on local content, which means that technologies partly produced outside Europe are not even allowed to participate in public auctions."
On the other hand, the manufacturers' association (ESMC) believes that the law is perfectly in line with what the industry is asking for. It wants the law to stipulate that no more than half of the net-zero technology in a project put out to tender should come from countries that are not members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Government Procurement.
PV Magazine of 22 November 2023
Editor's note: We now have to wait and see what the reaction of China will be, which will take a very dim view of any restriction on its photovoltaic expansion, at a time when that country is bursting at the seams with panel production and urgently needs commercial outlets.
