EU’s solar photovoltaic sector is ready to ramp up capacity to help cut Russian gas imports with the right political and regulatory support. Russia supplies about 40% of the EU’s gas and the EC wants to reduce this urgently in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Having 1 TW of solar installed by 2030 could cut Russian gas imports by about 75% and raising the EU’s renewable energy share target for 2030 from 40% to about 45% could help achieve this. This view is in line with the European Parliament’s lead negotiator for updating the EU’s renewables rules.
The EC had proposed in July increasing the 2030 target to 40% from 32%, as part of efforts focused on mitigating climate change. Solar Power Europe now estimated the EU could add 39 GW of solar PV capacity in 2022, up from the 30 GW it forecast before the war started. The big ramp up could start from 2023 with around 59 GW potentially installed, compared with pre-war business as usual forecast of 38 GW. The EU could install 112 GW in 2025, compared with 50 GW in the pre-war forecast.