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Dec 15, 2022 EST(NORTH AMERICA)
The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) supported innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe, EIT InnoEnergy, has recently been appointed by the European Commission (EC) as the Secretariat to the EU Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Industry Alliance.
The Alliance, together with the EC, set up plans to boost EU PV manufacturing with a target to deliver an annual capacity of 30 GW by 2025 across the entire value chain. It’s also expected to contribute 60 billion euros to the GDP and create more than 400,000 new jobs.
“Third countries are giving massive support to develop their clean tech industries and attract ours. The EU needs to up its game in terms of investment and regulatory environment for our clean tech manufacturing to thrive, create jobs in Europe and compete globally,” said Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market.
Established in 2010, EIT InnoEnergy owns impressive track records of leading the European Solar Initiative (ESI), the European Battery Alliance (EBA), the European Green Hydrogen Acceleration Center (EGHAC). This time, as the Secretariat of the EU Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Industry Alliance, EIT InnoEnergy will lead the Alliance in its ambitions to re-develop, de-risk and accelerate the PV industry in Europe across all segments of the value chain to create its competitive position in the context of booming demand for solar PV in Europe and globally. Specifically, EIT InnoEnergy will facilitate business and industrial cooperation across the solar PV value chain, lead the implementation of the strategic industrial action plan, manage membership, gather and disseminate market intelligence, manage communications and run the Alliance’s Business and Investment Platform.
To achieve the Alliance’s ambitions, a seven-pronged strategic action plan has been formulated, covering the critical conditions for investments in PV manufacturing capacities in Europe.
“ZOLA is proud to be driving energy equality in Haiti at this challenging time and we are so proud to be partnering with Haiti Green Solutions who are the true heroes in this story, building out a Haitian-owned and managed energy network under the most extreme conditions,” said Bill Lenihan, CEO of ZOLA Electric
The project demonstrates why countries need to locally produce their energy, be it solar energy or other renewable energy sources, while investing in a sustainable energy architecture distributed and built by local players.
The domestic market in Haiti for reliable clean energy systems is largely untapped, with electricity demand expected to increase by 50% by 2030. The island’s tropical climate makes it an ideal location for solar deployment.
- Identify manufacturing scale-up bottlenecks and provide recommendations
- Facilitate access to finance, including establishing commercialization pathways for solar PV manufacturing
- Provide a framework for cooperation actions for development and uptake
- International partnerships and global supply chain resilience
- Supporting the solar PV research and innovation base
- Promoting circularity and sustainability measures
- Upskilling and nurturing of skills through partnerships and training programs
At the current stage, the Alliance will prioritize the actions below:
- 1 . Mobilizing public and private finance for European solar PV manufacturing projects to scale up capacity, making best use of all existing and new European financing instruments
- .2 . Ensuring a sustainable level playing field and stimulating demand for competitive, efficient and sustainable PV products and systems
- 3 . Working on the swift implementation of ecodesign requirements for PV systems and products and on public procurement actions
- 4 . Anticipating the skills requirements of this new industry with the start of the European Solar PV Industry Alliance Academy.
SolarPower Europe and the European Solar Manufacturing Council will join EIT InnoEnergy on the Alliance’s steering committee as recognition of their role as key industry stakeholders.
Together, the steering committee will oversee the delivery of the Alliance’s work and the European Solar PV Forum.
