The European Commission hopes to kickstart a large-scale solar energy deployment and revive Europe’s solar manufacturing sector. According to a draft paper, the idea is part of its effort to wean nations off Russian natural resources.
“Solar power and heat are critical for reducing the EU’s reliance on Russian natural gas,” the Commission said in the draft, which will be published next week as part of a package of recommendations to reduce the European Union’s reliance on Russian oil and gas.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) prices have dropped by more than 80% in the previous decade, yet the technology will only supply 5% of EU power in 2020. Solar’s contribution to heat generation was significantly smaller, at 1.5%. Solar prices have dropped by more than 80% in the previous decade, yet the technology only supplied 5% of EU power in 2020.
According to the draft, Brussels intends to start a “European Solar Rooftops Initiative” to assist reduce gas-powered electricity and heating in homes, offices, stores, and industries.
How might additional solar roofs hasten Europe’s energy transition?
The idea would require the EU and national governments to take action this year to shorten approval timeframes for rooftop installations to three months. It would compel nations to utilize EU financing and implement rooftop panel assistance programs, as well as install solar energy in all appropriate public buildings by 2025.
Another EU initiative would bring governments and training providers together to concentrate on upskilling solar industry employees, while an “EU Solar Industry Alliance” would utilize the EU’s budget and carbon market “innovation fund” to boost industrial investments.
Europe has 14 proposed solar component manufacturing facilities, but several need billions of euros in funding to get started. It would bring governments and training providers together to concentrate on upskilling solar industry personnel. In 2020, China provided 75% of EU solar panel imports. Despite the EU putting anti-dumping and anti-subsidy rules on Chinese solar panels between 2013 and 2018, Europe has unable to compete with its own large-scale manufacturing.
“The solar turnaround has never been addressed in real terms,” said EU Green legislator Michael Bloss, who, along with Austria, Lithuania, and Spain, has urged Brussels to address the problem by legal means rather than voluntary initiatives. For example, in Europe, new buildings must have solar roofing on flat roofs, public buildings, and supermarkets. A second draft paper would change EU rules to shorten permission timelines for certain renewable energy projects.
As amazing and promising as all this sounds, it is hard to have faith in photovoltaics because, even though solar energy has been around for a long time, it still has many downsides. Although solar energy itself is free, the cost of collecting, converting, and storing solar energy can be high initially. The installation process and initial setup require paying for solar panels, an inverter, batteries, and wiring. Solar panels also require a lot of space, and solar energy depends heavily on environmental factors.
To that end, we have to shift our focus elsewhere and invest in a new energy source, one that will provide us with an energy-efficient and sustainable future.
Neutrinovoltaics: The Answer to Energy Generation When Photovoltaics Fails
This astonishing innovation in the field of cutting-edge renewable technology was developed by the well-known Neutrino Energy Group, and it is a genuine game-changer in the industry. In 2015, two separate scientists, Takaaki Kajita of Japan and Arthur McDonald of Canada, confirmed that neutrinos do in fact have mass.
Ever since then, the primary objective of Neutrino Energy Group has been to harness neutrinos and other forms of non-visible radiation in order to generate energy. The use of neutrinos and other forms of non-visible radiation as a source of energy is, in many respects, analogous to the use of a photovoltaic (PV) solar cell. Instead of capturing neutrinos and other forms of non-visible radiation, a part of the energy contained in their kinetic energy is gathered and then transformed into electricity.
Neutrinovoltaic technology does not have the same problems as solar energy in terms of efficiency and reliability. For example, neutrinos may flow through almost any known material, meaning that neutrinovoltaic cells don’t need sunlight to work. They may be utilized inside, outdoors, and even underwater. Snow and other bad weather have no effect on this technology because of the ease with which neutrinovoltaic cells may be protected while producing power. Because neutrinovoltaic cells do not need visible light to function, they can generate electricity 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, no matter where they are in the world.
Neutrinovoltaic technology will first be utilized for mobile phones and laptops, as well as pacemakers and other tiny devices, but this energy source will eventually be capable of covering all of a household’s electrical demands.
The discovery of neutrinos and other kinds of non-visible radiation offers humanity a long-awaited and reliable solution to the current energy crisis. Neutrinovoltaic technology is still in its early phases, but just like photovoltaic, this discovery will one day be generally recognized as a credible response to the world’s energy needs.
