ETIP Photovoltaics

May 25, 2021

Press Release - Annual ETIP PV Conference 2021 had a total of over 700 participants

The European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV) has successfully finished its 2021 virtual annual conference. The Conference “Solar PV Big & Beyond - Delivering the 2030 climate targets to Europe” discussed the challenges of delivering the 2030 climate targets to Europe in four sessions accompanied by a series of live panel discussions. On average, close to 200 participants registered for each of the four sessions.

 

Conference Chairman and ETIP PV Vice-Chairman Roch Drozdowski-Strehl stated: “We have entered a historic decade of accelerated deployment and innovation in clean technologies. As illustrated, all along the ETIP PV 2021 Annual Conference which gathered over 700 participants, it behoves the solar photovoltaic sector to play a key role in the global energy transition. Deeper cooperation amongst European partners and between the private and public sectors is crucial to make this transition a reality, and sustainably reshore renewable energy supply chains to Europe.”

 

After a welcome address from Roch Drozdowski-Strehl, Session I, titled “LATEST TRENDS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE PV INDUSTRY,” brought together industry leaders, high-level Representatives of the European Commission and EU organizations to provide a comprehensive overview of the EU PV INDUSTRY. The Session II “EUROPEAN PV TECHNOLOGY: QUO VADIS?” presented the two key PV Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) challenges: industry-ready technologies and emerging technologies.

 

On the second day, Session III, titled “RELIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE SOLAR PV EVERYWHERE,” continued with the SRIA domains focusing on PV integration, quality and sustainability.

 

Rounding out the two days of interactive sessions was a discussion between high-level representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and PV specialists concentrated on the headline of Session IV “FIT FOR 55% – SOLAR DRIVING EUROPE’S AMBITION”.

 

MEP Jutta Paulus, Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, stated: ”It is possible to reach carbon neutrality by 2050 or earlier without relying on nuclear energy but we have to urgently scale-up the deployment of renewable energy. We have by far not fully exploited the potential of community energy, which is largely due to the fact that Member States do not transpose the relevant regulations in the Renewable Energy Directive II and the Electricity Market Directive. The Commission should support Member States better in order to harvest the immense potential of citizens eager to act on climate change” She further stressed that energy efficiency should be prioritized as “every kWh that is not wasted, does not have to be produced in the first place.” She also emphasized that “We have to ensure that Europe becomes less dependent on 3rd countries regarding technological knowledge and strategic parts of the renewables and hydrogen supply chain to be able to feed our own demand."

 

During the conference ETIP-PV published the “Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for photovoltaics in Europe.”ETIP PV Chairman Marko Topič commented on the SRIA: “ETIP PV is opening a public consultation on the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) for PV science, technology and engineering till 2030 and beyond that is articulated in 5 challenges with several roadmaps that positions PV in the heart of the clean energy transition. The SRIA deals with research and innovation priorities that go beyond techno-economic benefits and embed new jobs and manufacturing in Europe, social inclusivity, sustainability and circularity, integration into the energy system and double use of landscapes and surfaces in buildings, vehicles, infrastructure and elsewhere.”

 

The European Green Deal, Paris Agreement, Horizon Europe, and even the 2020 European Recovery Plan placed the EU’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 at the heart of Europe’s socio-economic future. Whether at global or European scale, electricity is the cornerstone of decarbonized energy systems; solar energy and wind energy are the key technologies to deliver this electricity in sufficient quantities, at affordable cost, in a sustainable manner. Solar PV technology will play a prominent role in the EU’s commitments to its clean energy targets and global sustainability goals with a targeted 6 TW of installed PV capacity worldwide by 2030.

 

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