11TW! Europe and India Strengthen Solar Energy Alliance

PVTIME – SolarPower Europe and the National Solar Energy Federation of India (NSEFI) have just announced the renewal of their key strategic partnership. The move is set to be a game changer in the solar energy landscape, with the aim of creating a self-sufficient solar manufacturing ecosystem across Europe and India.

This collaboration takes on added significance against the backdrop of the EU’s Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) and India’s Production – Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. The EU’s NZIA focuses on strengthening the cleantech supply chain through local production, while India’s PLI scheme incentivises domestic production through subsidies. Their shared goal is to triple installed solar capacity to 11TW by 2030.

The partnership will revolve around three main pillars. First, they’ll look for new manufacturing and financing opportunities, perhaps by jointly establishing a solar industry fund to help SMEs scale up their technology. Second, knowledge sharing will be a key area, with regular technical seminars and talent training initiatives on the cards. Third, efforts will be made to remove market access barriers, such as pushing for EU-India agreements on standards recognition and tariff reductions.

As the Secretary General of SolarPower Europe noted, this isn’t just about pooling technical know-how, it’s a strategic response to the global supply chain crisis. Analysts predict that this alliance could accelerate the creation of a ‘Europe-India solar corridor’, boosting domestic production in areas such as solar cells and mounting systems. But both regions face challenges. India needs to address infrastructure issues such as slow land approvals and limited grid access, while Europe needs to manage the cost implications of local production. Striking a balance between technology transfer and IP protection, perhaps through cross-licensing of patents, will also be crucial.