After the recent signing of the Solar Pact between the French government and stakeholders in the sector, a new act of commitment was decided on April 15 between European manufacturers and several countries of the European Union. The European Charter for Solar Energy (1), presented during an informal meeting of European Energy Ministers, was signed by the European Commission, twenty-three Member States (including France) and the Council of the The European Solar Panel Manufacturers Industry (ESMC), which represents the interests of companies like Holosolis.
The document notably commits stakeholders to “accelerate the integration of the most relevant provisions” of the new European regulation for a carbon neutral industry (nicknamed Net Zero Industry Act). This counts, for example, on the integration of eco-design criteria to counterbalance the sole price signal in calls for tenders and other support devices, which currently tends to favor solar panels of non-European manufacture. “In 2023, (their) prices plummeted from 20 euro cents per watt to less than 12 cents (weakening) the viability of existing production in Europe and calling into question the investments made over the last two years in new factories”underlines the ESMC, in the introduction to the charter.
The latter also provides for the establishment of “task forces” national, relaying the European Solar Industrial Alliance, to support the sector and promote innovation. Furthermore, the document asks the Commission to ” facilitate “ industry access to all possible forms of financing and ” to work “ with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to strengthen them. Brussels must, moreover, ” explore “ the possibility of devoting a new important project of common European interest (Piiec) to solar energy.
Article published on April 16, 2024
