L R AS Published on Saturday 23 September 2023 - n° 458 - Categories:Europe
Germany's Agora presented proposals for a European PV industry. It's useless
A few days before the Commission presented its State of the Union address, the German consultancy Agora Energiewende presented its conclusions. It believes that the European Union should guarantee a minimum share of domestic production of clean technologies and aim for greater diversification of the supply chain, as well as increased recycling.
For photovoltaic solar energy, the Agora analysis recommends a 55% European manufacturing share for wafers, 50% for cells and 51% for panels, compared with current manufacturing shares of 2%, 4% and 28% respectively.
For batteries, for example, the Agora analysis calculates an EU manufacturing share of 55% for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and 58% for lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) cells, compared with current manufacturing shares of 12% and 50% respectively.
Agora's analysis focuses strictly on quantifying the risks associated with the cleantech value chain and the corresponding minimum manufacturing levels to ensure resilience.
Agora's director points out: "The Commission's proposals lack clarity on the public funding available at the scale required to achieve these objectives. Public funding must ensure that European clean technology manufacturers compete on the sustainability of their products, not just on cost. "
To read the study: https://www.agora-energiewende.de/en/publications/ensuring-resilience-in-europes-energy-transition/
Photon of 18 September 2023
Editor's note: Agora Energiewende thought it was doing the right thing by proposing its ideal production percentage for photovoltaic components. The President of the Commission thinks otherwise. She's willing to look after batteries and cars, but not the production of solar panels. So the study is useless!
