Practically 40GW of photo voltaic PV might be rolled out throughout Europe by the top of the 12 months, in keeping with SolarPower Europe (SPE), because the continent scrambles to deploy renewables and wean itself off Russian gasoline.
The expectation-beating determine of greater than 39GW of photo voltaic PV is a big soar on final 12 months’s determine of 27GW, itself a decade-long set up document.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the next rise in vitality costs it has brought on, European governments have regarded to speed up renewables deployment as a way to scale back their reliance on Russian vitality imports.
SPE mentioned Russia’s “weaponisation of vitality provide” has turbocharged renewables deployment within the area this 12 months, with 39GW of extra photo voltaic PV equal to 4.6 BCM of Russian gasoline.
“Each megawatt of vitality generated by photo voltaic and renewables is fewer fossil fuels we’d like from Russia,” mentioned Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SPE. “European photo voltaic is rolling out as quick as potential in anticipation of a tough winter.”
On 18 Might, and in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU unveiled its up to date EU Photo voltaic Vitality Technique as a part of its total REPowerEU programme, which is focusing on 400GW of photo voltaic PV by 2025 and nearly 740GW by 2030. PV Tech has explored what REPowerEU means for European photo voltaic in certainly one of our Insights webinar sequence, which you’ll view without cost right here.
The European Fee (EC) has described photo voltaic PV because the “kingpin of this effort” however analysts Wooden Mackenzie just lately warned the expertise’s contribution was in jeopardy from excessive uncooked materials prices, logistical challenges and rising module costs.
On prime of this, Dries Acke, coverage director at SPE, mentioned “an actual problem the sector is going through is a vital abilities scarcity”, which may “danger not having the variety of installers and mission builders that we’d like”.
“This can’t be missed in strategic planning for European vitality safety,” he added.
Nonetheless, at this time’s figures might be welcomed by European leaders and the photo voltaic business alike however Acke cautioned that such motion on renewables is required “for this winter, and each winter that follows”.
Shifting past REPowerEU, PV Tech has examined how Europe can go above and past the 740GWdc photo voltaic goal set throughout the technique, with many stakeholders calling for 1TW by 2030 as a substitute.
In the meantime, the EC has proposed regulation that units a voluntary goal to scale back gasoline demand by 15% by 31 March 2023 and is pursuing the apply of joint gasoline buying to decrease prices. The ‘Save Gas for a Safe Winter’ plan would additionally give the EC the likelihood to declare a compulsory gasoline demand discount following session with member states through a ‘Union Alert’ on safety of provide.
