Europe, in order to lower dependency on solar panels, is currently expanding its industry chain. Joint venture Solarcells will be establishing a solar module factory in Luxemburg before the end of the year, with about 50MW of capacity for the first phase, and is capable of manufacturing approximately 100K solar modules each year.
Luxemburg technical construction and engineering company Socom and Belgium solar company Evocells had previously announced to be merged into Solarcells, and will be establishing a solar module factory in Hollerich, Luxemburg. Solarcells plans to double its factory capacity to 100MW by 2026.
Marc Thein, President of Socom, commented that building a new factory is the easier option for the purpose of lowering the reliance on imported solar modules. However, Thein did not reveal any technical details, and only commented on the pricier level of Luxemburg-made solar panels that will cost EU€15-18 (approx. NT$590) more than those made in Asia.
In terms of raw materials, Evocells will first consider materials locally produced in Europe, and will be dedicated to simplifying supply chain management. Thien pointed out that the new factory will require an initial fund of EU€5 million, and would create about 20 job opportunities.
Claude Turmes, Minister for Energy of Luxemburg, commented that solar power is categorized as a clean energy, and helps to attain targets in renewable energy development, where the extrication from dependency of fossil fuels from Russia can also be achieved thanks to local production. Turmes further commented that Socom’s locally manufactured solar panels can elevate energy independence and accelerate energy transformation.
Solar power is the fastest growing energy in the EU by having added 18GW in EU’s solar market during 2020. 5.2% of the EU’s energy market is comprised of solar power, which had dropped 82% in cost over the past decade, and has thus become the most competitive power source among many regions. However, most solar power in the EU comes from imports, and that is why the EU had initiated the European Solar Photovoltaic Industry Alliance on December 9th 2022.
They believe that an improvement in solar productivity is the key in accomplishing the EU’s REPowerEU target, which pertains to adding 320GW of solar power in 2025, before arriving at nearly 600GW by 2030.
(Cover photo source: shutterstock)