Renewables industry sends proposal for powering green EU economic recovery

SolarPower Europe, together with 31 associations from the renewable and energy efficiency sectors, delivered a joint proposal on how the European Commission can build on European Green Deal priorities to develop the economic stimulus package, SolarPower Europe said on March 31.
According to SolarPower Europe, the proposal indicates that investments should be channeled into cost-competitive energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, which have significant job-creation potential in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.
This is in line with the European Council’s pledge to provide recovery measures to put the EU back on track for sustainable growth, integrating both the green transition and digital transformation, SolarPower Europe argued, adding that fast-tracking investments for zero-carbon buildings, as well as clean mobility and industrial processes, should be a key priority in order to strengthen the European clean energy industry and deliver the energy transition for all Europeans.
“Renewable energy industries and electrical installers represent more than 1.5 million jobs in Europe today,” SolarPower Europe CEO Walburga Hemetsberger said, adding that ambitious policies for the deployment of renewables across EU sectors and businesses can be a key driver of the EU economic recovery, while working towards a climate-neutral economy before 2050. “As the lowest cost and most easily deployed clean energy technology, solar provides affordable and reliable energy supply to businesses and citizens across Europe,” she added.
Hemetsberger cited a recent Joint Research Centre (JRC) study according to which two-thirds of Europe’s rooftop solar potential could provide electricity at lower rates than current residential tariffs, offering the opportunity to tackle energy poverty and boost local jobs in the installation, maintenance, and construction sectors at a crucial time for Europe.