www.jrc.ec.europa.eu Renewable Energy Unit

PV STATUS REPORT 2008

JRC EUROPEAN COMMISSION Institute for Energy The Institute for Energy provides scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of community policies related to energy. Special emphasis is given to the security of energy supply and to sustainable and safe energy production.

European Commission

Joint Research Centre

Institute for Energy

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Address: Via Enrico Fermi, TP 450, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy

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http://ie.jrc.ec.europa.eu http://www.jrc.ec.europa.eu EUROPEAN COMMISSION DIRECTORATE-GENERAL Joint Research Centre ΊΧ- Institute for Energy

PV Status Report 2008

Research, Production and Market Implementation of

September 2008

Arnulf Jäger-Waldau European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Institute for Energy, Renewable Energies Unit Via Enrico Fermi 1; TP 450 I - 21020 Ispra, Italia

Scientific Technical REFERENCE System on RENEWABLE ENERGY and ENERGY END-USE EFFICIENCY

EUR 23604 EN

Front cover: Artwork by Jennifer Rundle & Robert Houghton

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The report does not represent any official position of the European Commission, nor do its contents prejudge any future Commission proposals in any areas of Community policy.

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JRC 48143

EUR 23604 EN

ISBN 978-92-79-10122-9

ISSN 1018-5593

DOI 10.2788/1610

Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

© European Communities, 2008

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged

Printed in Belgium

PREFACE

Spiking oil prices at $ 147 per barrel in July 2008 and speculations when the oil price will exceed $ 200 per barrel have already become a reality. The current dive in oil prices due to the volatility of the financial markets and fears of an economic slowdown have highlighted our strong dependence on oil and have shifted the focus to more abundant fossil energy resources like gas and coal. However, the Gas Crisis at the beginning of 2006 and interruptions of the gas supply in the summer of 2008 due to "maintenance" has demonstrated that Europe is still highly vulnerable with respect to its total energy supply. A possible solution is the diversification of supply countries as well as the diversification of energy sources including renewable energies and Photovoltaics. In March 2007 the European Council endorsed the binding target of a 20% share of renewable energies in the overall EU energy consumption by 2020. Now the question in the European Union is no longer - What can renewable energies contribute to the European energy supply? — but - How can we realise the growth of renewable energy production? The motivation behind the Council Decision is the need to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gases in the 450 to 550 ppmv range which leads to the necessity to decarbonise our energy supply. Photovoltaics is a key technology option to realise such a shift. The solar resources in Europe and world wide are abundant and can't be monopolised by one country. Regardless for what reasons and how fast the oil price and energy prices will increase in the future, Photovoltaics and other renewable energies are the only ones to offer a reduction of prices rather than an increase in the future. In 2007, the Photovoltaic industry production grew by over 60% reaching a worldwide productio