European Commission

In November 2022, Germany’s Energie Baden Württemberg and steelmaker Salzgitter Group signed one of Europe’s first power purchase agreements (PPAs) for hydrogen production. More have followed and with the European Union introducing rules to govern green hydrogen, an industry is planning for its future.

Northvolt is set to secure €902 million ($986 million) of state aid to build a battery gigafactory in northern Germany, while France has been allocated €2.9 billion to ramp up production of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and heat pumps, according to a European Commission announcement.

A new provisional agreement to reform the European Union’s electricity market design is a “clear path forward for long-term investments into renewables,” says SolarPower Europe. However, the organization has criticized the deal’s capacity remuneration mechanisms for “prolonging Europe’s dependency on coal.”

The European Commission and the European Parliament have provisionally agreed to revise the European Union’s sustainability product legislation. If formally approved, it will include the introduction of a digital product passport to increase transparency.

The European Commission announced yesterday that 166 cross-border projects will be afforded streamlined permitting and regulatory processes, and be eligible for EU financial support, as part of a new push for the European Commission to reach its European Green Deal goals.

As solar module prices continue to drop to record lows, amid global oversupply, questions are being asked about how much inventory is sitting in European warehouses and when normal levels will return. With numerous estimates and assumptions swirling, EUPD Research’s Markus A.W. Hoehner and Ali Arfa have looked closely at the numbers in an attempt to provide a transparent view of the issue.

The European Council today announced policies aimed at targeting sectors – such as transport, industry and buildings – that are ‘slow’ to adopting the recently cemented 45% by 2030 renewable energy goal.

A lack of clear policy support, raw material dependency, and higher production costs are inhibiting the localization of European solar manufacturing, despite strong demand.

Compared to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed by Joe Biden’s administration in the US, the EU’s approach to establishing solar manufacturing appears slow and lacking in clarity. In this blog post, I will explore the EU’s renewable energy policy, specifically its emphasis on solar manufacturing, and evaluate whether Brussels is doing enough to establish a European solar supply chain.

The European solar landscape changed forever in 2022 and managing the supply chain, grid, and permitting constraints will be key to a solar-dominated energy future for the continent.