From the New York Times:
The European Commission is expected to introduce a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that directs the largest slices of €50 billion available for research and development to solar power and capturing and burying emissions from coal plants....From Greentech:
...“Markets and energy companies acting on their own are unlikely to be able to deliver the needed technological breakthroughs within a sufficiently short time span to meet the E.U.’s energy and climate policy goals,” the commission said in a draft of the plan obtained by the International Herald Tribune....
...Under the plan, the solar sector would receive the largest amount, €16 billion, or $23.5 billion, over the next decade....MORE
The European Commission's new proposal to boost solar technology development focuses too much on research and not enough on deploying commercial technologies, said the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) Wednesday.
The EPIA also voiced concerns that the proposal would not receive sufficient funding and is lobbying for more public money to be set aside to support the solar industry's growth....
...For solar, the plan calls for supporting both new technologies that make use of solar panels (photovoltaics) as well as solar thermal equipment. Solar energy could make up 15 percent of the electricity supply within the European Union if €16 billion of the €50 billion goes to solar research (see the commission's technology plan).
For the photovoltaics development, the proposal calls for establishing a long-term research program, up to five pilot production plants for new technologies, and projects for centralized and distributed solar generation.
For the solar thermal power development, the proposal wants to finance up to 10 demonstration power plants, as well as to support research into storing power for use at night, cutting costs and boosting energy production....
...But the EPIA, which represents companies that make solar panels and related components, said the commission should direct more support at deploying technologies that already are commercially available and making Europe the largest solar market in the world.
"The EC is putting too much emphasis on long-term research and should better recognise the need for accelerating the development of existing commercial and pre-commercial PV technologies," according to an EPIA statement. "Of course, long-term research should be carried out in parallel through other instruments.">>>MORE
