PV roadmap plots solar evolution in Europe
BRUSSELS, Belgium, 2004-06-30 (Refocus Weekly)
According to an industry roadmap, a substantial share of future energy will be delivered by renewables, and solar PV will take a major role in the generation of power.
“There are indeed many options to use renewable energies but photovoltaic
electricity generation from solar radiation has a uniquely strong and most
valuable position,” says the industry roadmap released by the European
Photovoltaic Industry Association. “PV solar electricity, together with solar
thermal,has the highest potential of all renewable energies since solar energy
is a practically unlimited resource available everywhere.”
“The favourable conditions created recently by the White Paper and the RES
Directive will help PV solar electricity to accelerate its pace in becoming a
major contributor to world-wide electricity generation,” says EPIA president
Winfried Hoffmann. Members of the European Union have set a target of a 22% from
green power by 2010 and, in order to achieve this objective, “emission-free,
high-tech and universally applicable solar electricity systems need to be
installed rapidly.”
The roadmap provides guidelines for the development of the PV industry in Europe
and says “strong effort in technology development, investments in production
facilities and market expansion through political support will be required to
keep this technology in Europe and to create jobs and opportunities.” It
highlights the “key obstacles and issues that must be resolved” if PV is to
contribute substantially to energy supply in both Europe and around the world,
and is intended to serve as a guide to 2010 that will be updated regularly to
reflect the prevailing situation of the industry and markets.
“To make PV a success, a concerted action of industry, government, research
community, and society is mandatory,” it says. “This development has already
started in some countries, Germany and Japan being amongst the very first.”
The roadmap calls for a European rate-based incentive scheme (feed-in tariff)
similar to the German model where a guaranteed price is paid by utilities for PV
power, and continued focussed research program with improved funding
arrangements which is “essential for the European PV industry to remain
competitive and to open up new markets.” There must be assistance for export
promotion to encourage partnerships between European industry and companies in
developing countries for product development, with revolving fund schemes to
foster the market for rural PV systems and major efforts to promote PV for rural
electrification in developing countries where two million people have no access
to electricity.
The global PV industry solar 700 MWp of solar modules last year, and EPIA
expects shipments to exceed 1 GWp in a few years, with an annual growth rate “well
above” 25%. The solar industry already provides employment for 35,000 people
and new PV production facilities can create 20 jobs per MWp of capacity, with
another 30 jobs in downstream services.
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