SOLAR GENERATION - Greenpeace

FOREWORD
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enterprise sees the photovoltaic industry
as a key high-technology sector and has been a major contributor to the creation of a European
Photovoltaic Technology Platform. This initiative will help secure the innovation, high
investment and strong collaboration between research and industry required by the sector and
also help take Europe closer to the Lisbon goal of becoming “the most competitive and dynamic
knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more
and better jobs and greater social cohesion”.
Climate change is a key challenge that needs to be tackled by competitive eco-technologies. The
European Union has played a leading role in defining the Kyoto Protocol. The forthcoming
implementation of the emissions trading instrument will pave the way to greater use of
renewable sources and to more rational use of energy. Photovoltaic technology, which converts
the sun’s energy directly into electricity, will contribute to the reduction of emissions in the
medium to long term, not only through cleaner projects in Europe, but also in developing
countries through the transfer of technology.
The sun provides more than 10,000 times the energy humanity consumes, meaning that there
are few limits to the potential of photovoltaic technologies. For the last five years, the
photovoltaic sector has experienced one of the highest growth rates worldwide (over 30% in
2003) and for the 20 next years, the average production growth rate is estimated to be between
27% and 34% annually. Currently the cost of electricity produced using photovoltaic technology
is above that for traditional energy sources, but this will fall with technological progress and
more efficient production processes.
This EPIA / Greenpeace blueprint traces possible future developments in the photovoltaic sector
over the coming decades, foreseeing significant benefits for the environment, but also for
society: the photovoltaic sector might employ more than 2 million people by 2020.
These developments will only occur if governments and the public at large welcome this
technology. I am convinced this publication will promote this process and look forward to
photovoltaic technology starting to play the role it deserves in establishing sustainable
development for our benefit and that of future generations.
Günter Verheugen
European Commission Vice President,
Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry
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