L R AS Published on Saturday 24 June 2023 - n° 451 - Categories:Europe
A new PV organisation is asking the Commission for help. It is using the wrong means
According to the European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA), founded in December 2022, Europe will exceed its target of manufacturing 30 GW of solar photovoltaic energy by 2025 if
the right industrial and political conditions are in place. See another presentation on the subject by Plein Soleil.
Around twenty projects to manufacture silicon, ingots, wafers, cells and panels would need to be brought together.
For this to happen, political support is needed to achieve the objective and make European supply chains competitive with international chains in a landscape dominated by China and South-East Asia.
Europe currently has 9.4 GW of panel production capacity, the overwhelming majority of which is small-scale production on a MW scale. For silicon, there are only two producers: Wacker Chemie in Germany and REC Solar in Norway. There is currently 1.4 GW of cell production in Europe, notably from 3Sun in Sicily and Meyer Burger in Germany. There is 1.7 GW of combined ingot and wafer capacity.
A working group has drawn up a proposal on the criteria and measures that could be used to define the best eco-responsible solar, and how this could be linked to bonus points in all public procurement and specific calls for tender to facilitate and support the consolidation and development of the European solar industry.
Another working group will focus on guaranteeing the conditions necessary for the construction of a reliable European supply chain. Legislation will be needed against much of the solar glass used for imports from China, which is not recyclable and also contributes to a significant increase in carbon footprint that is out of line with EU plans.
The US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was also mentioned as a major concern for the finance working group. Added to this is India's Production-Linked Incentives (PLI) programme. ESIA believes that the European PV manufacturing sector needs competitive operational support (OPEX) and capital expenditure (CAPEX) instruments to ensure predictable and robust resources.
PV Tech of 20 June 2023
Editor's note What is curious about this initiative is that it forgets or neglects the lessons of the last three (at least) years. The European ESCM group did try to stir up the Brussels authorities, but to no avail. Political support, support for companies in the sector, and border protection - none of these issues were taken up or even studied.
ESIA continues to call for political aid, waiting for others to come to its rescue. This attitude is doomed to failure because nothing has changed: the Commission has failed in a programme to promote the European photovoltaic industry. It is no longer going to try anything new, having no strategic vision, only an administrative one for the European Union.
There is only one serious, wise and difficult solution left. That is to bring together the various companies concerned in associations, partnerships or even mergers to form a centre that is still small but has the means to act (even if each head of a company has his or her own business).(even if every company director is by definition someone who believes he can do it on his own, and is therefore not ready to join forces).
We also need to identify companies, some of them very small, that are keen to sign contracts for the supply of ingots, wafers and cells. Meyer Burger has found some in Norway. There must be many other companies wanting to create a new business or expand an existing one with assured customers.
Europe is increasingly encumbered by the administrative policy of the Commission, which wants to unify Europe. It is fundamentally mistaken, because administration has never been dynamic. It puts the brakes on initiatives. We must remember the great maxim: "Help yourself and heaven will help you".
The ESIA should ponder this aphorism and make it its own!
