German environmental aid registered association
Berlin (ots)
- Climate goals are in jeopardy: Photovoltaic (PV) technology as a key component of the energy transition is almost never produced in Europe
- The German environmental aid warns: The expansion of renewable energy in Europe is almost entirely dependent on imports, some of which have questionable supply chains
- DUH calls for the immediate establishment of sustainable PV production with high environmental and social standards in Europe and publishes recommendations for action
German Environmental Aid (DUH) sees a lack of European production capacity for photovoltaic modules as endangering the achievement of climate targets in Germany and Europe. That is why he called for the immediate establishment of sustainable PV production in Europe and provided comprehensive recommendations for action. Because photovoltaics (PV) plays a key role in climate protection. In Europe, the number of installed PV systems is expected to increase from around 160 gigawatts (GW) in 2021 to more than 8,000 GW in 2050, depending on the scenario. However, there is not enough capacity for this doubling, and some European PV producers are even threatening to migrate to America or India as they will find better conditions there. Germany and Europe then could only import – mainly from China. This not only creates a new dependency on energy supply, but is also unacceptable due to human rights violations there and lack of environmental standards. Therefore, DUH calls for (re)building of European photovoltaic production with strict environmental and social standards and promotion of development with additional investment funds.
Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Federal Managing Director of DUH: “Germany and Europe are slipping into the next energy dependence with Chinese solar module imports and thus once again jeopardizing our climate goals. While other countries are massively increasing PV production, Europe is just watching. If we are not completely dependent on others for energy supply we If we want, we must now build our own PV production capacity as quickly as possible. Then we will also have environmental and social standards in our hands and will also benefit from added value and job creation. If we don’t want to give up the idea of an energy transition that fair and environmentally friendly, we must support production in Europe with significant investment funds.”
In response to the current energy crisis, other countries have created multibillion-dollar incentive programs to build their own PV production capacity for their domestic markets. Since there are no comparable incentives at the European level, European PV manufacturers are toying with the idea of moving production overseas. To sustain this and establish sustainable PV production along supply chains in Europe, DUH presented political recommendations for action and advertised further co-signers.
Nadine Bethge, Deputy Head of Energy & Climate Protection, explains: “It would be naive to believe that other countries in Europe are supplying us with clean energy systems while their own energy systems are still running on fossil fuels. In the spirit of a just energy transition and to achieve our climate goals, we must therefore urgently build our sustainable European PV value chain in Europe! To achieve this, effective incentives such as support programs for low equity, special depreciation, and temporary compensation for operating costs in times of high energy prices. In addition, European supply chain laws should be improved and the reuse and recycling of photovoltaic modules strengthened.”
Background:
In mid-year, DUH launched a series of workshops titled “Solar made for a better future” to discuss high environmental and social standards PV value chains located in Europe with representatives from politics, business, science and civil society for discussion. German Environmental Assistance summarized the results of the workshop in recommendations for action and is publishing them today.
Left:
The action recommendations “Development of sustainable PV production in Europe” can be downloaded here: https://l.duh.de/p221130
Press Contact:
Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Federal Managing Director
0160 90354509, [email protected]
Nadine Bethge, Deputy Head of Energy & Climate Protection
0160 533 7376, [email protected]
DUH Newsroom:
030 2400867-20, [email protected]
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Original content from: Deutsche Umwelthilfe eV, transmitted by actual news
