Solar power additions in the EU jumped by a staggering 47% this year led by an installation boom in Germany (+7.9GW), Spain (+7.5GW) and Poland (+4.9GW), as Europe rushed to replace curtailed Russian energy imports with home-grown renewable energy.
The Netherlands (+4GW) and France (+2.7GW) also showed strong figures as the cumulated solar generation fleet in the economic bloc rose by a quarter to 208.9GW.
The 41.1GW in new solar capacity is enough to power some 12.4 million European homes, and represents the equivalent of 4.45 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas, or 102 tankers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), industry group SolarPower Europe said in its 2022-26 solar outlook.
“The numbers are clear. Solar is offering Europe a lifeline amid energy and climate crises,” SolarPower Europe chief executive Walburga Hemetsberger said.
“No other energy source is growing as quickly, or reliably, as solar. We’re building a secure, green, prosperous Europe on a foundation of solar.”
The association expects additions to reach an even higher 53.6GW next year in the EU (under an average scenario), and at least 85GW of new solar per year by 2026 – largely in sync with recommendations by the International Energy Agency for the EU to install some 60GW of solar next year to compensate for shortfalls in Russian gas supply.
But SolarPower Europe policy director Dries Acke also cautioned that still existing barriers to a faster solar deployment must be tackled “head on”.
“We need more electricians and stable electricity market regulation. A solar-powered Europe can only be based on smoother administrative processes, speedier grid connections, and resilient supply chains.”
