Report Urges Enhancement of Sustainable Solar PV Supply Chains in Europe

The European Solar Manufacturing Council’s (ESMC) Working Group on Sustainable Solar PV Supply Chains has released a new recommendation paper titled “Implementation of the NZIA Proposition for Sustainability, Social, and Resilience Criteria.” This document aligns with the European Union’s Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), aimed at boosting European manufacturing of strategic Net-Zero technologies, a cornerstone of the EU’s clean energy transition.

Vincent Delporte, Head of Public Affairs at Holosolis and responsible for the NZIA criteria in the ESMC sustainability working group, stated, “With adequate criteria for resilience, sustainability, and worker’s rights, auctions have the potential to serve as a crucial instrument in reshoring solar manufacturing to Europe. We hope this paper can serve as a valuable resource for anyone interested in criteria for auctions of sustainably European-made solar modules in accordance with the objectives of the NZIA.”

The NZIA, proposed by the European Commission in 2023, sets a framework to enhance Europe’s manufacturing capabilities of net-zero technologies, targeting a production capacity of these technologies by 2030 to meet 40% of the union’s demand. This initiative is pivotal for achieving the EU’s climate and energy goals, as well as the reindustrialization of Europe.

Key components of the NZIA focus on:

Public procurement (Article 25)
Calls for tender (Article 26)
Support mechanisms like feed-in tariffs (Article 28)

The act mandates the inclusion of sustainability and resilience criteria in public contracts, tenders, and support schemes to promote high sustainability and resilience in the solar PV supply chain. The goal is to reduce dependency on single suppliers, particularly from non-European countries, and develop a robust European value chain. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), auctions are expected to drive 70% of Europe’s renewable capacity growth between 2023 and 2028, making these criteria crucial.

The ESMC’s new recommendation paper serves as a resource for policymakers, outlining specific criteria for public procurement and support schemes to achieve the NZIA’s targets. It emphasizes the need to strengthen European solar PV manufacturing to enhance energy security and support the green transition.