A general view shows solar panels used to produce renewable energy at the photovoltaic park during its official inauguration in Cestas, southwestern France, December 1, 2015. REUTERS/Regis DuvignauBRUSSELS, March 31 - The European Commission will do "whatever it takes" to rebuild Europe's industry manufacturing parts for solar installations, the EU's energy commissioner said on Thursday, as the bloc draws up plans to quickly cut reliance on Russian gas.
The Commission is drafting a detailed plan, due in May, for how the EU's 27 countries can meet that goal - including by accelerating the transition to renewable energy.A specific strategy for solar energy will attempt to speed up permitting that has held up installations, support more solar power purchase agreements, and build up Europe's solar manufacturing capacity, Kadri Simson told the Solar Power Summit conference in Brussels.
The EU imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy controls on solar panels from China between 2013 and 2018, in a bid to protect European manufacturers from a flood of cheaper parts from the world's top solar product maker.