Recording of Tuesday, June 23, 2026 | The smarter E Europe Conferences 2026 | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 12:57 .

Navigating the Future of European Solar Energy Manufacturing

Europe faces significant challenges and opportunities in scaling solar energy manufacturing, particularly in establishing a robust gigawatt presence. While initiatives like Carbon and Niedersächsische Elektrizitätswerke show progress, the region lags in major capacity installations compared to global competitors. The solar value chain, encompassing critical components such as silicon, ingots, and energy storage solutions, requires urgent evaluation to bolster domestic manufacturing capabilities. Concerns about the reliance on foreign technology and equipment highlight the need for a reevaluation of sourcing strategies to enhance local production independence. Innovations in photovoltaic technologies, including TopCon and Heterojunction, are emerging, yet the market remains largely unchanged, maintaining a niche within global production. Europe's investment in the solar sector is considerable, yet growth must translate into enhanced capacity and efficiency. Additionally, a strategic focus on manufacturing batteries and hydrogen technology is crucial to support the overall renewable energy transition. The landscape demands proactive measures from policymakers and industry leaders to secure a sustainable and self-sufficient European solar market.

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Speaker

Prof. Dr. Peter Fath
CEO
RCT Solutions GmbH
Germany

Talk of session: Solar Made in the EU: Strategies for Creating a Resilient Domestic Solar Market Based on High Internal Value Creation

Despite strong research capabilities and the presence of leading production equipment suppliers, Europe has been struggling to rebuild competitive wafer-to-module manufacturing, while the USA and India have enabled a local renaissance in solar manufacturing. In Europe, even long-established inverter manufacturers have been losing considerable ground. With the EU's Net Zero Industry Act yet to deliver momentum, attention is turning to the upcoming Industry Accelerator Act. This session examines how policy, investment and value-chain strategies can strengthen domestic manufacturing and increase internal value creation.

Key topics:

• Overview of EU and national policy frameworks to support local manufacturing
• Status of Europe's solar manufacturing value chain
• Investment gaps and competitiveness challenges
• Strategies for triggering a sustainable solar manufacturing revival

Further Talks of this session:

Intro

Speaker

Dries Acke
Deputy CEO
SolarPower Europe
Belgium

To Talk

European PV manufacturing: Current landscape and strategic outlook

Speaker

Karl Melkonyan
Principal Analyst
S&P Global

To Talk

The Future of Made-In-Europe (Europe vs India, US)

Speaker

Marius Mordal Bakke
VP, Head of solar and storage research
Rystad Energy AS
Norway

To Talk

Panel Discussion

Speaker

To Talk