European Research Area: Commission presents joint research and innovation agenda on solar energy

Today, the Commission published the Staff Working Document (SWD) entitled ‘Solar energy joint research and innovation agenda with Member States in the context of the European Research Area (ERA)’.

To grow the solar industry in Europe and to become a major player in the clean energy transition, the sector must rapidly ramp up its manufacturing capacity and successfully address challenges related to research and innovation, manufacturing, integration, sustainability and circularity. 

This agenda, which aligns with the Green Deal Industrial Plan and the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), is a key action of the EU Solar Energy Strategy and highlights the important role of research and innovation to reduce the cost of existing solar energy technologies, support new technologies, and enhance their environmental and socio-economic sustainability. Setting out the current performance of solar technologies, it explains why and how to go further. 

The agenda outlines several research and innovation priorities for solar photovoltaic (PV), concentrated solar thermal and non-concentrated solar thermal technologies. Furthermore, it identifies crosscutting themes that are relevant for the solar energy sector, for example the necessity to consider the impact of climate change on solar energy technologies, or the development of new business models to facilitate the implementation of novel technical solutions. 

The SWD leverages the work of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan implementation working groups on solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal and the work of the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling (RHC ETIP). Beyond that, it is based on a wider consultation of the Horizon Europe Cluster 5 Programme Committee, the ERA Forum and the Research Working Party; all are invited to further contribute to its implementation and financing through a joint programming approach.

More information

Staff Working Document:Solar energy joint research and innovation agenda with Member States in the context of the European Research Area (ERA)

Energy research and innovation