How Europe can become the Solar Valley of the world
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Loading... - Reeta Korhonen
- 13 Mar 2023
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The most efficient solar modules are created in Europe but built elsewhere – that must change if the bloc is to establish itself as a serious solar competitor
I still remember the day when my eighth-grade teacher gave in to our request to install solar panels on the school roof. I was 13 years old at the time, and the energy transition in Germany was still mostly a foreign concept, because coal, oil and gas kept our economy humming and supplied my school and home with electricity and heat. Renewables were exotic.
But since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and the devastating effects of the climate crisis have become more obvious, it should be clear to us Europeans that renewables are now the norm – the time of cheap and climate-damaging fossil fuels is over.
The United States and China have recognised this. They are fostering their domestic solar and wind power industries with billions in investments. Since the US introduced its Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), new solar factories have been announced almost weekly in the country. And China has been promoting solar power for years: it is home to seven of the world’s top 10 solar manufacturers.
What was a highlight at school for me 23 years ago has long been a part of everyday life in China and will become the new normal in the US with the IRA. In 2022, more than 85 gigawatts of solar capacity were added in China – twice as many as in the EU. Read More…
