Archives - Press releases

La energía solar será la solución más barata para los picos de demanda en sólo 7 años

Brussels, 13th December - Greenpeace y la Asociación Europea de la Industria Fotovoltaica (EPIA) han publicado en español el informe Solar Generation 2007 A(1), que muestra un futuro brillante para la industria de la energía solar. El informe subraya el rápido crecimiento de esta industria y pronostica la capacidad de generar 300 mil millones de euros anualmente para 2030 y la creación de 6,5 millones de empleos.

Además, siguiendo la senda analizada en el informe, este sector conseguiría cubrir un 9,4% (2) de la demanda eléctrica mundial. El estudio destaca los beneficios de proporcionar energía a 2.900 millones de personas que viven en países empobrecidos, y proporciona un plan para lograr esos objetivos.
Spanish Version

Research in the PV sector: broad approach requested

Brussels, 27th November - The final EPIA Round-table in a cycle of 6 debates, running since May 2007, focused on research and development in the photovoltaic (PV) sector and its impact on market development. A few days after the publication of the SET Plan, EPIA took this opportunity to provide its comments on the new Commission communication, but also to highlight the potential impact of the PV Strategic Research Agenda and medium term research priorities.
English Version

Solar electricity: a part-solution in combating poverty and climate change in developing countries

Brussels, 8th November 2007 – The 5th EPIA Round-table in a cycle of 6 debates, running until December 2007, focused on the EU development policy and how photovoltaic energy can provide cost competitive, tailor made and sustainable technological solutions for rural electrification. 1,6 billion people have no access to electricity in developing countries. With adapted tools within the EU development policy, photovoltaic electricity could contribute rapidly to reduce this figure.
English Version

The Photovoltaic sector proposes a voluntary take-back system for waste

Brussels, 9th October - The 4th EPIA Round-table in a cycle of 6 debates, running until December 2007, focused on waste and recycling in the photovoltaic sector. The round table event highlighted the PV sector’s initiative to establish a voluntary take-back system for photovoltaic products and at the same time urged the Commission not to include photovoltaic in the WEEE directive, currently under revision.
English Version

EREC Position Paper
on the Renewable Energy Framework Directive.

Amsterdam/Brussels, 01th October - The 20% target can be met with strong legislation coming soon. The European Renewable Energy Council takes the opportunity of the Amsterdam Forum to present its position paper on the future Renewable Energy Framework Directive. One day before the Commission invites stakeholders to discuss the issue, EREC outlines the industry’s needs and concerns.
English Version

Access to the grid:
A precondition for the solar photovoltaic market to take-off
Brussels, 13th September - The 3rd EPIA Round-table in a cycle of 7 debates, running until December 2007, raised the issue of access to the grid for photovoltaic (PV) applications. Although existing EU legislation gives priority access to the grid for renewable energies, Germany is the only Member State that provides effective grid connection. The debate’s participants emphasised the need for clarification of the gridaccess rules and harmonisation of grid-connection rules in the Commissions upcoming proposal.
English Version

Photovoltaic Industry: towards maturity
Milan, 6th September - The 4th European Photovoltaic Industry Forum, organized by EPIA, held in the frame of the 22nd EU PVSEC1 in Milan gathered over 800 participants from over 90 countries. The main concern debated on this new edition was how the industry can reach maturity. Reaching competitiveness by both technological developments and mass production in a sustainable manner is the key challenge which the sector is facing today. Maturity and sustainability are the common goals pursued by both the research and the industry community in the photovoltaic (PV) sector.
English Version

World’s future is bright with Solar Electricity
Milan, September 4th, 2007 - Report finds photovoltaic solar electricity will become cost competitive during the next seven years, and be worth over € 300 billion a year by 2030. A report issued jointly today by Greenpeace and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), forecasts a bright future for the solar power industry. “Solar Generation 2007”(1) outlines the industry’s steep growth forecasting a potential generate €300 billion annually, by 2030, creating 6.5 million jobs and meeting 9.4% (2) of the world’s electricity demand. It highlights benefits to provide power to 2.9 billion people living in developing countries. The study provides a blueprint for achieving these goals.
English Version

European wide consensus reached of photovoltaic energy generation from long term operation of PV modules
In a recent international inter-comparison within the European Commissions FP6 Integrated Project PERFORMANCE IP eight separate energy prediction methods developed independently across European Universities and Research Centres have shown agreement on the estimated energy generation of five different photovoltaic (PV) modules technologies.
English Version

Feed-in tariffs make solar photovoltaic electricity more and more competitive
The 2nd EPIA Round-table in a cycle of 7 debates, running until December 2007, opened up the debate on the future of support mechanisms for renewable energies and in particular solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity. The EPIA debate stressed that correctly designed Feed-in tariffs are needed to promote PV electricity, but warned that EU harmonisation could give negative effects.
English Version

Solar Photovoltaic Electricity in Portugal: the sector waiting for clear signs from the government
Portugal is the sunniest country of Europe but remains amongst the last ones in developing solar photovoltaic electricity. The 300 participants of the European conference “Boosting Solar Electricity in Portugal” held today in Lisbon at the Fórum Tecnológico commonly agreed that the Portuguese government should send clear messages to the sector.
English Version

The new Framework Directive on Renewable Energy must go beyond existing legislation and not move backwards
In its 1st Round Table of a cycle of 7 debates which will run from May until December 2007,  the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) presented its views on the new Energy Package which was presented by the European Commission in January 2007. EPIA stressed that the future Framework Directive on Renewable Energy should include mandatory sector specific targets (electricity, cooling & heating and transport) at national level for renewables, and ensure that Member States respect these targets.
English Version

Winfried Hoffmann moves from SCHOTT Solar to Applied Materials
Alzenau, February 7, 2007: With effect from April 2, 2007, Dr Winfried Hoffmann, most recently Member of the Management Committee of the Alzenau-based SCHOTT Solar GmbH, will move to the Management Board of Applied Materials GmbH & Co. KG, which is also located in Alzenau.
English Version

European Commission Energy Policy could have a counter-productive effect on the development of renewable energies
Brussels, 11 January 2007: The new Energy Policy for Europe presented yesterday by the European Commission proposes a binding 20% target of renewable energies in primary energy by 2020. This apparently positive goal will, however, create increased confusion in the renewable energy sector and might undermine the existing successful legislation which has permitted a strong development of renewable energy sources.
English Version

Photovoltaic industry prepares to steady growth
Brussels, 22 December 2006: During its 2006 end-of-year gathering on 21 December, the EPIA members (European Photovoltaic Industry Association) assessed short-term projections (2010) of solar electricity markets in Europe and globally as well as required up-scale of production capacities to answer an expected growing demand. In the short term, with favourable policy conditions, an average increase of the global photovoltaic market of 37% until 2010 is expected.

In 2010, EPIA estimates that the global annual market of solar electricity will be close to 5,6 GWp. The photovoltaic industry is going to remain for some years one of the most dynamic economic sectors globally.
English Version

Solar power ready to dominate the consumer energy market
Dresden, 6 September 2006: Solar power can deliver electricity to more than 2 billion people, provide over 2 million jobs with an annual investment of 113 billion Euros by 2025, reveals a joint report, ‘SolarGeneration’, released today by Greenpeace International and the European Photovoltaic Industry Association. The market report also explains that 350 million tonnes of CO2 emissions would be cut - the equivalent amount from 140 coal power stations and by 2040, solar electricity could provide over 16% of the global demand.
English Version

“Belgian Solar electricity organisations request a national Strategic PV Plan”
English Version