News

Read the full Press Release here.

  

Thanks to the overwhelming support of EPIA Members for this action plan and for the budget required to carry it out, we can continue our fight for the interests of our members to ensure the sustainable development of PV markets and better position ourselves in the energy debate on new system design.

We are also excited to be working on some new services.  With the soon-to-be-launched EPIA Research, we will use our internal expertise to offer consulting services to Members and non-members, companies, associations, governments, etc. We’ll have more information available on this initiative in the coming days. In the meantime, feel free to contact me or my colleagues for more information.

More news from our March AGM: We changed four articles in the EPIA statutes (Articles 6, 11, 16 and 18; for details, EPIA Members can click here once logged in to the Members Area) to better reflect the major developments in the PV sector in recent years. From now on EPIA Members will choose the president of the association in a direct vote, and the election period of the whole board is reduced to three years. In the future we will be able to organize an AGM also with electronic participation. The membership fees for associate members now will be changed, linked to their turnover. If you have any questions about these changes, please contact me.

We have also launched a special incentive campaign to attract new members. Here’s the deal: If you bring in a new member you can reduce your membership fee for next year by 50% the new Member’s fee.  That means you could even have free membership next year...! To find out how it works, click here (log in first to the Members Area).

Finally, the AGM elected three new members of the EPIA Board. I am pleased to welcome Jodie Roussell from TRINA as a Vice-President, and Christian Westermeier of Wacker and Milan Nitzschke of SolarWorld as directors. Their terms are valid until March 2014, when EPIA Members will vote on an entirely new Board.

Thank you all again for your renewed trust in the EPIA team and let me reassure you that we remain committed to working for you in the effort to promote our sector.

  

That’s one of the main findings of EPIA’s new report, “Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics 2013-2017”, launched at Solarexpo in Milan on 8 May 2013.

NOTE: EPIA Members can access extra content, including country-specific data and analysis, by clicking here.

The report includes PV market figures for 2012 and makes forecasts for the next five years for global and European markets. The results show clearly that Europe’s leading role in driving the global PV market is coming to an end. In 2011, Europe accounted for more than 70% of the world’s new PV installations; in 2012 this number was around 55%. In 2013 it is almost certain that the majority of new PV capacity in the world will be installed outside of Europe.

The report’s major findings include:

• 31.1 GW of PV systems were installed globally in 2012, up from 30.4 GW in 2011; PV remains, after hydro and wind power, the third most important renewable energy source in terms of globally installed capacity
    
• 17.2 GW of PV capacity were connected to the grid in Europe in 2012, compared to 22.4 GW in 2011; Europe still accounts for the predominant share of the annual global PV market, with 55% of all new capacity in 2012
    
• Germany was the top market in 2012, with 7.6 GW of newly connected systems; followed by China with an estimated 5 GW; Italy with 3.4 GW; the USA with 3.3 GW; and Japan with an estimated 2 GW
     
• For the second year in a row, PV was the number-one new source of electricity generation installed in Europe; PV now covers 2.6% of the electricity demand and 5.2% of the peak electricity demand in Europe
     
• Under a pessimistic Business-as-Usual scenario, the global annual market could reach 48 GW in 2017; under a Policy-Driven scenario, it could be as high as 84 GW in 2017

“The results of 2012 signal a turning point that will have profound implications in the coming years,” said EPIA President Winfried Hoffmann. “The global PV market is shifting from one driven mostly by Europe to one that also depends on countries around the world with varying degrees of solar potential and the political will to exploit it.”

Hoffmann added:  “But some things will not change. Even in challenging times, the prospects going forward for solar PV – a clean, safe and infinitely renewable power source – remain solid, especially the medium- to long-term. The main questions are how and where continued PV growth will occur, and how committed policymakers are to making it happen.”

  

EPIA Policy Director Frauke Thies emphasised the large potential for PV market growth in Europe in the coming years and underlined the need for power system adaptations to reflect the characteristics of variable renewable energies and to allow these important technologies to be valued in the future.

A lively discussion followed Thies’ presentation, especially on ways in which system flexibility should be encouraged and on requirements PV should progressively meet to support system operation.

  

Read the full Position Paper here.

  

In the framework of this important event, EPIA is launching its new "Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics 2013-2017". The report assesses the European and global markets for PV in 2012, and makes forecasts for the next five years. It will be presented during a press briefing and workshop on 8 May from 2.30 to 4 p.m in the Hotspot area in Hall 5, booth D15.

More information on Solarexpo is available here.

  

The workshop will feature an interactive panel discussion chaired by Fabrice Didier, member of the EPIA Board of Directors and CEO of Saint-Gobain Solar, and include representatives of manufacturers, PV project developers, the financial sector and laboratories. The workshop will be followed by a networking cocktail.

This event is sponsored by DuPont Photovoltaic Solutions.

More information is available here.

  

Since mid-2012 it also includes a detailed description together with a case study of existing direct consumption schemes (such as net-metering and self-consumption) in place in a series of countries. This document is updated regularly and at least quarterly.

More information is available here (Members only).

  

As the voice of the global solar PV industry in Europe, EPIA has worked with our member companies and associations all along the value chain to identify challenges and set clear priorities for the coming years. At our Annual General Meeting in Brussels on 14 March 2013, we affirmed these priorities as essential to the future of our industry, underlining the need for more sustainable policy support for renewables, proper integration of solar PV into the electricity grid, and increased focus on industry innovation.

Specifically, this means we will work to:

• Ensure a reliable political framework and support schemes for PV and renewables that will lead the sector to long-term competitiveness
    
• Focus on integrating a rising share of PV into the electricity grid, and shaping a future market design that removes bottlenecks that are hindering the technology’s development
    
• Provide essential market analysis and data
   
• Push for an EU industrial policy, and drive innovation and research for PV

It is clear that PV is approaching full competitiveness with other electricity sources. But in the context of a wider energy transition, PV’s development will remain policy-driven in the coming years – very much like all other electricity producing technologies. Financial support, administrative procedures and grid integration remain crucial issues.

That means we all have a lot of work to do. With clear vision, effective tools, and convincing policy positions, we’re more than ready for the challenge.

  

“A consistent three-target approach on renewable energy, energy efficiency and emissions reductions will be a critical driver for clean energy investments, while moving the focus away from the most polluting energy sources,” said EPIA Policy Director Frauke Thies. “Europe must now be willing to follow through on this vision for a clean and competitive energy future, showing clear political direction and enabling further investments. That means committing to new objectives for 2030, including an ambitious and legally binding target for renewable energy sources.”

The Green Paper, which launches the discussion on the 2030 climate and energy framework, comes as some EU Member States are wavering in their support for renewable technologies such as solar photovoltaics (PV), and are even enacting measures to cut support retroactively. This has created some uncertainty on the part of investors and threatens an industry with a great potential to create jobs, mitigate climate change, and bolster Europe’s energy independence.

The Commission also published a progress report on the implementation of its directive to achieve a 20% share of renewables in overall energy use by 2020. The report finds that significant progress has been made since the adoption of the Renewable Energy Directive in 2009, but underlined that further efforts are needed. The Commission noted that, among other things, progress has been hampered recently by unpredictable and retroactive changes to the political framework for renewable energy in several European countries. 

“The Commission is right to strongly reject retroactive changes to political framework conditions that undermine investor confidence, destroy flourishing markets and eventually increase the cost of investments due to the created uncertainty,” said Thies. “Especially at a time when renewable energy technologies like solar power are becoming more and more economically attractive, governments can only gain from a reasonable and stable political framework for renewables. This will benefit and the economy, consumers and the environment.” 

In December 2012, EPIA sent a letter to European Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger, signed by more than 70 companies and associations in the solar PV electricity sector, calling on the EU to take action against Member States that are enacting retroactive measures or moratoria on support schemes for renewables.