SolarPower Europe Ceo Walburga Hemetsberger, made exclusive declarations for GES Magazine. Hemetsberger, giving information about new period activities of SolarPower, made evaluations on the current status and opportunities of solar energy in Turkey.

Walburga Hemetsberger 
Walburga Hemetsberger is the Chief Executive Officer of SolarPower Europe, the association for the European solar industry, which aims to ensure that more energy is generated by solar than any other energy source by 2030. Her previous experience includes her roles as Head of the EU Representation Office at VERBUND for nine years; Advisor of Financial and Capital Markets at The Association of German Public Banks and Association of Public Banks (VÖB / EAPB); Competition lawyer at Haarmann Hemmelrath and experience in the DG Competition Merger Control Task Force. Walburga has also been a Board Member of Hydrogen Europe.

Can you tell us about SolarPower Europe?

Since 1985, SolarPower Europe has been the association for the European solar industry. We are a member-led association, with over 200 members representing the entire solar value chain, from manufacturers to installers, research institutes to project developers and many more. Our aim is to ensure that more energy is generated by solar than any other energy source by 2030. We also work with a wide range of intergovernmental organisations, institutes and organisations to accelerate the energy transition with solar at the core. 

Our work encompasses a range of topics and trends in the solar sector from digitalisation to storage, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) to operations and maintenance (O&M), emerging markets to solar mobility. We coordinate a number of Task Forces with the support and involvement of our members, within which we publish reports, host webinars, workshops and events. Annually, we organise five flagship events: SolarPower Summit, Midsummer Celebration, RE-Source, Digital Solar & Storage, O&M and Asset Management.

We have been recognised as the number one association in the world for our energy and climate advocacy by the non-for-profit and independent Influencemap which ranks all associations on a global basis – a major endorsement of our work. Recently SolarPower Europe also received the ‘Overall Best European Association’ award at the European Association Awards 2019 in Brussels, Belgium.

How do you evaluate general outlook on Europe when you evaluate the current situation and the future potential of solar energy?

It is truly an exciting time for solar in Europe as we have entered a new era of solar growth. In 2018, solar in the EU-28 grew by 36% to 8.0 GW, up from 5.9 GW of newly installed capacity the previous year. Solar installations in Europe as a whole grew by 20% to 11 GW in 2018, up from 9.2 GW in 2017. 

2019 will be an even better year for solar in Europe. Our forecast sees solar demand surge by over 80% to 20.4 GW in 2019, and an 18% growth to 24.1 GW in 2020, which would be a new installation record, surpassing the 22.5 GW Europe added in 2011. This year, we anticipate France, Italy and Spain to all enter the GW-scale annual installation level. 

According to Bloomberg New Energy Forum (BNEF), solar as the lowest cost and most easily deployed clean energy technology will dominate power generation in the long-term, anticipating that in a scenario reaching around 87% renewables in Europe in 2050, solar will have a 36% share equal to 1,400 GW.

Solar also has the highest level of support in Europe, with 89% of Germans, 85% of Italians, and 85% of French saying it was their preference, according to a European Social Survey (ESS). This is because solar is the most democratic and decentralised form of energy – anyone, anywhere can install it, whether it’s on your home, school, hospital or business.

Thus, the future of solar is very bright in Europe!

Via the new campaign started by SolarPower Europe, solar panels’ installation on renovated and newly constructed buildings is aimed to pass inside EU legislation. We see certain that this groundbreaking campaign shall meet much support. How is the general reaction? 

SolarPower Europe has indeed recently unveiled its new campaign, that all new and renovated buildings in the EU should have solar installed. It simply does not make sense any longer to have buildings constructed or renovated without solar, at a time when we need to take urgent action on climate change. Installing solar on all new and renovated buildings in the EU can save more than 4 million tonnes of CO2 annually and help lighten the electricity bills of European households. Whether you own or rent your home, or you are a landlord, investing in solar is low-cost, with an estimated payback time of around 10 years and a warranted lifetime of up to 30 years.

Our campaign is inspired by the recently adopted law in California, requiring houses built from 2020 to include rooftop solar. We already see similar initiatives in Europe. The Balearic parliament (Spain) has approved a law that includes, among other measures, an obligation to incorporate solar PV panels in car parks and new buildings. In the city of Tübingen, Germany, it is mandatory to install solar on all new houses and commercial buildings. 

We are now calling on all Europeans to sign our online petition in an effort to introduce solar on all new and renovated buildings in EU legislation. Diverse stakeholders from policymakers to associations, institutes and corporations have already embraced our campaign. We are open to cooperate with all stakeholders, including of course the construction industry and architects. Overall, the general reaction has been very positive, and we look forward to presenting our campaign to the new European Commission and European Parliament in November.

While energy transition is experienced across the world, positive numbers are published each day, especially on employment transition. What role does solar play in terms of employment? 

The solar industry is the biggest employer in the global renewable energy sector, creating more jobs per installed watt than any other power generation source, both fossil fuel and renewable sources, with the industry accounting for 3.6 million jobs in 2018 – one-third of the total renewable energy workforce – according to International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Solar is a technology that has a strong positive effect on employment in Europe. For every terawatt hour of power produced, solar currently creates 1,100 jobs in the EU. This is several times more than any other energy industry, specifically nuclear, coal and gas.

Three out of four solar jobs in the EU are downstream jobs. These jobs are created locally, cannot be exported overseas and therefore contribute to long-term socioeconomic development. Small-scale solar installations in the EU support almost three times as many jobs and gross value added than large-scale ones. This is because, of the 115 GW installed solar power capacity, two-thirds are rooftop systems, which are more labour intensive when it comes to installation.

Solar also presents a significant opportunity for jobs and new industry in regions affected by the decline of coal. A European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) study found that installing solar in former coal regions helps create jobs and enables reemployment, particularly during the construction phase. According to JRC, solar is especially suitable for employing former coal workers and can help drive regional development. 

In short, solar provides huge opportunities for clean, safe and reliable jobs across the world.

Corporate sourcing of renewable energy has become a major trend – what its potential and how can it be accelerated in Europe? 

Corporate sourcing of renewable energy has become a major business opportunity worldwide, boosting the economic competitiveness of corporates and reducing their carbon footprint. In Europe, 16 GW of new renewable energy sources have been contracted over the last five years, either through Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) or direct onsite installations. 

In Europe, there is huge potential for corporate sourcing of renewable energy, although some barriers remain. To unlock the full potential, policymakers should remove all regulatory and administrative barriers to corporate sourcing, as required by the recently enacted Renewable Energy Directive, so the early success – mainly concentrated to date in the Nordics, the Netherlands and the UK – can be replicated more broadly.

Greater clarity and certainty in the long-term ownership of Guarantees of Origin (GOs) are crucial for corporates to know they are buying renewable electricity. A wide variety of procurement models and market products should be enabled, from on and offsite solutions to multi-corporate renewable power purchase agreements (PPAs) to minimise risks and maximise participation. Corporates must also be allowed to sign cross-border renewable energy transactions to maximise opportunities to deploy the most cost-effective renewable energy solutions.

SolarPower Europe together with WindEurope, RE100 and wbcsd have launched the RE-Source Platform, a European alliance of stakeholders representing clean energy buyers and suppliers for corporate renewable energy sourcing. This platform pools resources and coordinates activities to promote a better framework for corporate renewable energy sourcing at EU and national level. Corporate sourcing of renewable energy will only continue to grow as more and more companies have committed to source 100% of their electricity from renewables – so watch this space!

Recently, Fatih Birol, IEA Executive Director, has announced that Turkey is 3rd in Europe for last 5 years’ assessment of increase renewable energy installation. How do you evaluate Turkey’s development in terms of solar energy?

Currently, Turkey is the second largest solar market in Europe and has great untapped potential which could reach 500 GW. The PV market in Turkey continued to grow very fast in 2018, even though it was less than the record year of 2017. 

At least one-third of Turkey’s existing roof area is deemed to be suitable for solar installations, equal to around 467 million m². If solar was installed on all these roofs, that would total around 46,000 MW, with 23,000 MW on residential roofs, 21,000 MW on industrial and commercial roofs, and 2,000 MW on the roofs of public institutions. 

Turkey is considered one of the fastest growing energy markets in the world – with great potential for solar!

What’s next for SolarPower Europe?

One of our top priorities is to put in place an industrial strategy for the European solar industry. With several solar stakeholders such as European researchers, production equipment suppliers, raw and processing materials companies, inverter manufacturers, and many others, being world leaders in their fields, we need an industrial strategy to make sure that Europe continues to lead on solar and renewables. 

SolarPower Europe has developed an ambitious industrial strategy that will see the EU take global leadership on solar technologies, manufacturing and services, and at the same time create thousands of clean energy jobs in Europe.

We are also seeing new opportunities arise beyond the power sector such as solar-to-hydrogen technologies and solar mobility. We already see examples of solar-based hydrogen projects in Europe and these technologies are ramping up fast. Likewise, electromobility is an emerging global trend that will open up new and exciting opportunities for solar. 

The future looks bright for solar in Europe – the outcome for solar in the EU’s Clean Energy Package, which ensures the right to self-consumption of solar and maintains priority dispatch for small-scale solar installations, was highly successful. Now we are working to ensure that EU member states live up to their commitments and put national frameworks in place to support further solar growth. Moreover, the EU’s 2050 climate and energy strategy will be highly important for the solar sector, this the EU’s strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. More than ever before, solar is ready to play a leading role in Europe’s energy transition as the lowest-cost clean energy technology.