European Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Scaling Up and Innovating!

The European Union has approved a €29 billion national aid plan from France to support the country's net-zero manufacturing sector. This plan encompasses the production of solar panels, energy storage batteries, wind turbines, heat pumps, and other critical components and raw materials.

The aid plan, based on the EU's temporary framework for crisis and recovery, will be provided in the form of tax exemptions to eligible companies and is authorized until December 31, 2025. Under this framework, member states have the flexibility to design simple yet effective plans to expedite the transition to a net-zero economy, including direct grants, tax advantages, loans, or guarantees. The Commission adds that, in specific cases, member states may provide higher support to individual companies.

Additionally, under this framework, the EU Commission has also approved €902 million in national aid from Germany to support the construction of a battery factory by the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt in Heide, Schleswig-Holstein.

Notably, the activity in the French solar manufacturing industry has been on the rise recently. The CARBON project aims to establish a gigawatt-scale TOPCon solar cell and module factory, also venturing into tandem technology. Another startup, Holosolis, is dedicated to tandem cell and module technology and has already introduced 10 million modules.