Dozen CEOs Call on EU Commission to Support Solar PV Manufacturing

In the context of critical EU solar deployment and energy security targets, 12 CEOs from leading PV manufacturers, and the CEO of SolarPower Europe, wrote to the European Commission to call for urgent action to support the redevelopment European solar manufacturing..

The letter welcomes the recent REPowerEU and EU Solar Strategy, while pointing to international measures that are accelerating the global competition for solar PV value chains outside of Europe. The U.S.’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) benefits for Operating Expenditure (OpEx) and Capital Expenditures is resonating with investors, while in India, innovative auction design is providing similar clarity to the industry. Signatories highlight the recent IEA Special Report on supply chains, raising concern about the dominant concentration of supply chains in a single geography.

To ensure Europe’s competitive participation within a globally diversified solar supply chain, and echoing President von der Leyen’s State of the Union speech last month, signatories are calling on the commission to replicate the EU Chips Act’s success for critical solar PV technology, and promote solar PV production in the National Resilience and Recovery Plans. This translates to accelerated financial support for large-scale manufacturing projects, and competitive OpEx support, particularly for energy-intensive polysilicon and ingot/wafer production. The letter signatories include Matthias Taft, CEO of BayWa r.e.; Salvatore Bernabei, CEO of Enel Green Power; Mark Widmar, CEO of FirstSolar; Elisabeth Strauss-Engelbrechtsmüller, CEO of Fronius; Joachim Goldbeck, CEO of Goldbeck Solar; Udo Möhrstedt, CEO of IBC SOLAR; Xabier Viteri, general manager of Iberdrola Group’s Renewable Energy Business; Dr. Gunter Erfurt, PMP, CEO of Meyer Burger; Gøran Bye, CEO of Norwegian Crystals; Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Reinert, CEO of SMA Solar Technology; Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe; Dr. Armin Froitzheim, chief technology officer and managing director at Solarwatt; and Dr. Christian Hartel, CEO of Wacker Chemie AG.

Original Source: https://solarindustrymag.com/dozen-ceos-call-on-eu-commission-to-support-solar-pv-manufacturing