EU set to surpass 2030 target for 750 GW of solar

The installed solar capacity in the 27 EU member states reached 208.9 GW at the end of 2022 as new additions soared 47% to the record high of 41.4 GW through the year.

The steep increase in the newly installed capacity across the Union is spurred by high electricity prices and the efforts to ditch Russian energy imports coupled with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and supply chain constraints, SolarPower Europe said in a report.

New installations exceeded the projections for 2022 by 38% and added 10 GW more capacity than the Brussels-based industry association forecast at the end of 2021.

Once again, Germany is at the forefront with 7.9 GW of new solar capacity, followed by Spain with 7.5 GW and Poland with 4.9 GW. The Netherlands connected 4 GW of new solar systems to the grid throughout the year to climb to fourth place and France rounds out the Top 5 markets with 2.7 GW.

The solar capacity in the EU is expected to continue expanding at double-digit annual growth rates in the next four years hitting 484 GW in 2026, driven mainly by Germany and Spain. Europe's two largest markets are set to deploy 62.6 GW and 51.2 GW of solar capacity, respectively, in 2023-2026.

In 2023, solar systems with a combined capacity of 53.6 GW are expected to go online across the EU under the association's medium scenario, exceeding for the first time the 50-GW threshold.

Based on SolarPower Europe's projections, the EU is set to achieve its target of 400 GW of installed solar by 2025 under the REPowerEU plan and by far surpass the 750-GW target for 2030 with a solar fleet of 920 GW.

In the report, the association outlined five points that need to be addressed to support the expansion of solar energy: growing the pool of certified solar installers and skilled workforce; maintaining regulatory stability and investor certainty for solar; enabling smoother integration of solar PV in the grid; better spatial planning and permitting procedures for solar and ensuring sustainable and reliable solar PV supply chains.

The report is available on SolarPower Europe's website.

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