http://www.energycentral.com/centers/energybiz/ebi_detail.cfm?id=547 EU Solar Market Catching Fire
August 8, 2008
Ken Silverstein, EnergyBiz Insider
Editor-in-Chief
Europe's solar energy market may catch fire. Government subsidies there are playing a big part, all in an effort to help the continent reach its goal of increasing its renewable generation mix from 8 percent today to 20 percent by 2020.
The ultimate aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions tied to global warming. The European Union (EU) is a global leader and as such the member nations enacted incentive programs to achieve their desired results. It all bodes well for solar power. Growing demand, in fact, has helped reduce production costs through the advancement of solar-cell designs and manufacturing processes.
According to consulting firm Emerging Energy Research, Germany now accounts for roughly half of all the installed solar capacity in the world. Within the EU, it is followed by Spain. The countries make up 92 percent of the continent's installed photovoltaic (PV) solar capacity of about 1,500 megawatts. Italy, Greece, France and Portugal are expected to produce the lion's share of PV projects in the coming years. But the establishment of subsidized programs in other markets that include the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Switzerland has set off a off a wave of PV expansion.
"The European solar PV market is becoming increasingly fragmented across the value chain from manufacturers to project owners with installers and developers operating in the continuum" says the firm's senior analyst Reese Tisdale. Emerging PV-based power producers range from renewable energy utilities to specialized solar PV plant owners looking to gain market share. They include German developers Conergy, City Solar and Phoenix Solar as well as such as utilities as Electricite de France, Iberdrola, Electrabel and Enel.
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