PVTIME – In Brussels, the European Commission unveiled a draft Industrial Acceleration Act to drive European industrial decarbonisation, boost EU industrial competitiveness, and promote ‘Made in Europe’ for key products, including solar modules. The proposed legislation is now with the European Parliament, the Council of the EU, and other co-legislative bodies for consultation.
SolarPower Europe has welcomed the draft, with Deputy Chief Executive Officer Dries Acke describing it as a watershed moment for European industrial policy. He confirmed that the Act will empower EU Member States to prioritise EU-manufactured solar and energy storage systems in selected public tenders, government procurement, and industrial support programmes.
Mr Acke explained that the Act focuses on EU-manufactured solar inverters and cells, facilitating the return of core PV components while avoiding overly strict initial entry requirements. This strikes a balance between supporting domestic manufacturers and rolling out affordable solar energy on a large scale. He stressed that the ‘Made in Europe’ definition must apply strictly to products manufactured within the EU and the European Economic Area.
However, he raised concerns about the provisions for battery energy storage systems, noting that stricter, early-enacting requirements could hinder the urgent expansion of this technology. Battery storage is crucial for increasing the utilisation of renewable electricity and reducing expensive fossil gas imports, so accelerating its adoption is essential for achieving the EU’s energy security and industrial competitiveness goals.
Mr Acke emphasised the importance of simplifying the act’s clauses to ensure consistent implementation across member states and reduce administrative burdens, a prerequisite for upholding the EU single market. Supporting documents, including an Act Annex, a Subsidiarity Assessment Form and an Impact Assessment Report, were published alongside the draft.
The Act includes comprehensive measures to increase EU industrial capacity and decarbonise strategic industries. It simplifies the approval process for industrial decarbonisation projects and adds ‘Made in Europe’ and low-carbon requirements to relevant procurement and tenders. It also tightens foreign direct investment rules for emerging strategic industries, covering equity limits, joint venture mandates, local R&D and raw material obligations.
Exclusive Industrial Acceleration Zones will offer priority access to financing, raw materials, talent and infrastructure, as well as streamlined approvals. The Act amends the Net Zero Industry Act by adding origin requirements to procurement and tenders, updating cybersecurity rules, and including battery storage in renewable energy tender criteria.
For PV projects, the draft legislation requires that government procurement, renewable tenders and support programmes use EU-manufactured inverters, cells and core components within three years of the Act taking effect. Battery storage systems face phased requirements: full EU manufacture within one year, with systems of 1 MWh or more needing EU-made battery management systems. By year three, they must integrate EU-made cells and at least one other EU-made core component.
Scan the QR code to follow PVTIME official account on Wechat for latest news on PV+ES
