Empowering Solar Innovation: ESIA’s Bold Steps Towards a Sustainable Future
In a collective endeavor to bolster Europe’s solar industry, Glass for Europe actively participates in ESIA’s “Finance” working group. Together, they have meticulously crafted recommendations that address the financial disparities within the Photovoltaic (PV) sector. By advocating for increased financial support, ESIA aims to bridge the cost gap between European markets and global leaders, most notably China. This initiative is crucial to establishing a level playing field, ensuring the realization of the ambitious Solar Strategy and the Net-Zero Industry Act.
Value Chain Working Group: Paving the Way for Recycling
ESIA’s “Value Chain” working group focuses on a pivotal aspect of solar energy: the recycling process. Specifically, the group addresses the challenge posed by uncertain antimony content in solar glass, a stumbling block in the path to efficient recycling. Currently, the varying antimony content in modules imported from outside the EU complicates the recycling efforts of solar glass. Antimony, known for its environmental and health risks, also interferes with the manufacturing process. To surmount this obstacle, ESIA advocates for:
- Transparent Disclosure: Implementing a requirement in the EcoDesign legislation for PV modules, mandating full disclosure of the composition, including additives such as antimony compounds, and the manufacturing process of solar glass sheets intended for the EU market.
- Antimony Threshold: A clear communication strategy outlining the evaluation of an antimony threshold in the upcoming revision of the Ecodesign legislation for PV modules.
A Sustainable Tomorrow: Access the Recommendations Papers
For a comprehensive understanding of these groundbreaking recommendations and their profound impact on Europe’s solar landscape, we invite you to explore both ESIA’s “Finance” and “Value Chain” recommendation papers, available below:
- Recommendations on financial mechanisms to fill the cost gap and restore the PV industry in Europe
- Addressing uncertain antimony content in solar glass for recycling
Source: Glass for Europe with additional information added by GlassBalkan
