ETIP Photovoltaics

SET Plan

The Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) as part of the Energy Union strategy is at the forefront of European energy technology policy

The Integrated SET Plan

The Framework Strategy for a Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy (Energy Union strategy) is built on the ambition to achieve a fundamental transformation of Europe's energy system in a cost-effective way. This will be achieved by moving to more sustainable, smarter, more flexible, more decentralized, more integrated, secure and competitive ways of delivering energy to consumers. Most importantly, meeting this ambition will require that energy producers and suppliers innovate in terms of energy production, transportation and services. As innovation is the basis to the Energy Union, it is vital to support researchers and companies at key stages in the development of new products and processes.

The Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) as part of the Energy Union strategy is at the forefront of European energy technology policy. The integrated SET Plan identifies ten actions needed to accelerate the EU energy system transformation in a cost-effective way. Renewable technologies are at the heart of the new energy system with photovoltaic solar energy (PV) as a main pillar.

PV contributes to two of ten SET Plan Key Actions, namely:

No1 in Renewables

Performant renewable technologies integrated in the system

Reduce costs of technologies

Strategic targets on PV

In the framework of the integrated SET Plan, representatives of the European Commission services, representatives of the EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Turkey and Switzerland (i.e. the SET Plan Steering Group), and representatives of the ETIP PV, agreed in December 2015 on a Declaration of Intent (DoI) on PV (i.e. SET Plan Declaration on Strategic Targets in the context of an Initiative for Global Leadership in Photovoltaics) which presents high-level R&D&I priorities for the solar PV sector. A Temporary Working Group (TWG) on PV was set up in January 2017 to draft an Implementation plan that contains concrete R&I activities, and proposes relevant funding opportunities for their realization, which are considered essential for achieving these targets. The Implementation Plan was endorsed by the SET-Plan Steering Group in November 2017.