CARBON: Pioneering an Integrated Industrial Approach in European Solar Manufacturing

premium account

Recording of Wednesday, June 19, 2024 | The smarter E Europe | Exhibition Program | Language: English | Duration: 17:06 .

Raffaella Giardino from Carbon Highlights Europe's Push for Photovoltaic Manufacturing and Industrial Reindustrialization Amid Global Competition

Raffaella Giardino from Carbon Highlights is presenting on pioneering an integrated industrial approach in European manufacturing, specifically in the photovoltaic sector. She highlights that while most of the value chain for polysilicon, wafers, cells, and modules resides mainly in Asia, Europe remains a significant market with promising potential. Europe has historically lagged behind regions like the United States and India due to less protective measures but is now showing positive signs through initiatives such as the European Green Deal aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050 and Fit for 55 targeting a 55% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030. The Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) designates solar energy as strategic and aims to have 40% of used modules manufactured within Europe by 2030. France exemplifies this shift with supportive legislation such as the Renewable Energy Acceleration Act and Green Industry Bill. Additionally, Raffaella mentions Carbon’s commitment to full-value chain production within Europe underpinned by decarbonization, sovereignty of Europe, reindustrialization principles—focusing on scale economies and vertical integration for competitiveness.

Automated summarization by AI Conver

The technology for wafer, cell, and module production is continuously advancing. Currently, silicon-based solar modules hold approximately 97 percent of the global market share. While the passivated emitter and rear cell concept (PERC) remains prevalent, there is a notable shift towards tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon), expected to lead in terms of market share by the end of 2024, alongside silicon heterojunction (SHJ), and interdigitated back contact (IBC) cells. The transition to these technologies is fast, for which innovative cell manufacturing approaches are considered.European machine manufacturers are at the forefront of providing solutions to the global market. Their cutting-edge equipment is designed to facilitate the high-quality and efficient production of solar cells. In this session, machine and equipment suppliers, together with European cell manufacturers, will discuss the current state-of-the-art production technology and future trends in the post-TW market.

Further Talks of this session:

To Talk

To Talk

To Talk

To Talk

To Talk

Further Content
Webinar
EEG Reform & Grid Package – What prospects and potential does Photovoltaics have beyond 2027?

September 18, 2026

New rules for solar and energy storage: The planned EEG reform for 2027 could fundamentally reshape the support framework and market conditions. Join our webinar in cooperation with BSW-Solar to find out what opportunities and challenges these changes may bring to the industry.

Howard Wenger and Aaron Thurlow
How U.S. Innovators Are Reshaping Solar

The smarter E Podcast Episode 261 | Language: English

July 23, 2026

Live from Munich: Industry leaders discuss Nextpower’s integration of utility-scale storage and Caelux’s breakthrough perovskite-on-glass solar tech.

Rutger Schlatmann and Angelika Harter
Perovskites: The Race for the Future of PV?

The smarter E Podcast Episode 258 | Language: English

June 25, 2026

HZB researchers explore perovskite tandem solar cells, efficiency gains, and the challenges of bringing the technology to market.

Tim Meyer
Can Renewables Deliver 24/7 Power?

The smarter E Podcast Episode 259 | Language: English

July 2, 2026

Can renewables power an industrial nation 24/7? Tim Meyer and expert guests discuss breakthrough insights from The smarter E Europe 2026.

Thomas Raffeiner and Petrouschka Werther
What EV Acceleration Means for the Grid

The smarter E Podcast Episode 260 | Language: English

July 9, 2026

Cars as batteries on wheels: Thomas Raffeiner and Petrouschka Werther discuss how V2G and smart charging turn EVs into critical grid assets.

You are using an outdated browser

The website cannot be viewed in this browser. Please open the website in an up-to-date browser such as Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.