Europe's 9-mo solar installs down 18% y/y

Europe’s solar photovoltaic (PV) generation capacity grew by 1.56 GW in the third quarter (Q3) and by 5.3 GW in the first nine months of 2016, SolarPower Europe said Tuesday.

Deployment in Q3 and 9-mo was down by 10% and 18% year-on-year, respectively. This is mainly because of policy changes in the UK which created a rush before support for solar power dropped significantly. For the first nine months of 2016 the UK added about 1.5 GW, which compares to 4.1 GW a year back.

This year’s total may reach 7.1 GW if fourth-quarter installations are similar to these in 2015. Last year Europe added 8.6 GW.

“In a few European markets demand for solar power has improved, but future developments for one of the strongest growth markets, Turkey, is very difficult to predict, due to its political situation and strong protectionist measures,” the solar association commented.

SolarPower Europe is calling for a 35% renewables target by 2030, up from the proposed 27%, so as to better align with the goals of COP21. It also said priority dispatch and access for renewables need to be kept in a generation scheme still dominated by inflexible power sources. Finally, the organisation says the proposed approach to capacity mechanisms needs to be improved if Europe is willing to eliminate power generation overcapacities.

“In light of the Paris COP21 agreement it is concerning that the European solar market growth is slowing down, especially now that solar has become the lowest-cost power source in many European regions today,” said Michael Schmela, SolarPower Europe’s executive advisor and head of market intelligence.

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