European solar manufacturers emphazise need for a revision of European energy policy in light of today’s

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in Berlin. 'European energy policy needs to stop moving backwards,” said Milan Nitzschke, President of the European Industrial Initiative EU Prosun. In recent months, more European states have restricted the promotion of renewable energies. Italy and France, for example, have cut subsidies for solar and wind power drastically. Germany even wants to impose a levy on self-generated solar electricity.

European companies are critical over the EU’s lack of the promotion of renewable energy and development objectives. Nitzschke said: "It's unbelievable. For years, the EU discussed climate goals and independence from energy imports but when it comes to concrete measures, they are actually moving backwards. Latest step was a decision on environmental and energy state-aid guidelines, designed only to slow down growth of renewable energies instead of supporting them."

The recent IPCC report on climate change describes ways to avoid further global warming by more than 2 degrees by supporting renewable energies and energy efficiency. According to the scientists it's ultimately time for action. Milan Nitzschke: "The European solar industry has succeeded in the last seven years to reduce the cost of solar power by more than 80 percent. Today it is already cheaper to invest in solar and additional flexible cogeneration or biogas than in nuclear and coal. And costs for solar power will further go down while fossil costs continue to increase."

Source: EU ProSun/prosun.org