Photovoltaics Implementation Working Group

Renewable electricity is expected to become a cornerstone of our future sustainable, climate-neutral energy system. It could become the ‘primary fuel of the future’, serving most of our electricity needs.  

Through electrification, renewable electricity could power heating and cooling in urban environments and industry, transport and mobility, and in some parts of the world, desalination (often summarised as Power-to-X (P2X)).  

Therefore, renewable energy and other low-carbon technologies with photovoltaic (PV) solar energy as a prominent component, are drivers of the energy transition and will play a key role in achieving the European Green Deal targets.  

Moreover, the industry sectors related to these technologies are considered value chains of strategic importance for Europe. They offer great opportunities for job creation, contributing to the economy and the EU’s recovery plan.  

The work of the Implementation Working Group on photovoltaics (PV IWG) focuses on strengthening and rebuilding European technological leadership in the sector by pursuing high-performance PV technologies and integrating them into the EU energy system. It also aims to further reduce the levelized cost of electricity from PV rapidly, and in a sustainable manner to: 

• allow competition in electricity markets throughout Europe 
• enable large-scale use of P2X.  

To address these aspects, the IWG PV: 

•  monitors the national support for the implementation plan (IP) on PV and its 

progress on a technological and economical level; 

• monitors the role of EU players; 
• stimulates further national or European support for the IP; 
• shares the results of activities. 

The PV IWG has defined several targets to step up overall PV sector development in Europe: 

• stronger performance of established and emerging technologies as well as of novel concepts 
• cost reduction of key technologies at component, system and operation levels 
• further increase lifespan, quality and sustainability of PV-related technologies, including circularity and eco-design 
• integration of PV (physical, functional, ecological, etc.) in buildings, including technologies and manufacturing concepts for ‘mass customisation’, therefore, among other things, enabling large-scale attainment of nearly zero energy buildings 
• major advances in (technology and solutions for) manufacturing and installation, also enabling GW-scale and high added-value production in the EU. 

The PV IWG comprises representatives of EU and associated countries, industrial stakeholders, NGOs and research institutes (see table below).  

The group is chaired by Germany with the support of the European technology and innovation platform (ETIP) PV as co-chair.  

If national representatives of EU and associated countries and stakeholders are interested in actively participating in the IWG, they can contact the Chair. 

The initial target for reducing turn-key system costs by at least 20% by 2020 and by at least 50% by 2030, compared to 2015 levels, has already been achieved.  

Targets are currently being revised, in consultation with industry stakeholder via the ETIP PV. 

• ETIP PV 
• PV Impact 
• Solar ERA-Net 
• Clean energy transition partnership (CETP) strategic research and innovation agenda (SRIA) 
• Clean energy transition partnership (CETP) SET Plan stakeholder groups dialogues 

Chair: Christoph Hünnekes, ch.huennekess@fz-juelich.de 

Co-Chair: Wim Sinke, wim.sinke@tno.nl