On 5 March 2026, at MINATEC in Grenoble, nearly 200 players gathered for the 2nd National Photovoltaic Solar Industry Day.
This event is part of a strategic context for Europe and France: making solar energy not only a lever for decarbonisation, but also a pillar of industrial sovereignty.
Today, the European Union is aiming to have almost 750 GW of photovoltaic capacity installed by 2030, a target that implies not only massive deployment, but also alternative production methods.
Behind the energy transition lies another challenge: rebuilding a complete European photovoltaic value chain.
THE ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN BROUGHT TOGETHER IN A SINGLE PLACE AROUND A CLEAR CHALLENGE
From raw materials to panel recycling, from industrial gigafactories to R&D and market issues, every link in the value chain was represented.
This configuration is far from insignificant, given that over 80 % of the world's photovoltaic panel production is currently concentrated in China.
Faced with this dependence, Europe has set itself a clear course: to rebuild a “Made in Europe” photovoltaic supply chain, covering all stages of the value chain.
This objective is supported in particular by the Net-Zero Industry Act, which aims to strengthen European industrial capabilities in strategic technologies.
At the French level, this dynamic must be supported by structuring measures to encourage the development of a French industry, as planned in the new version of the Multiannual Energy Programme (Programmation Pluriannuelle de l'Énergie) published in mid-February 2026.
The day's discussions confirmed this challenge for :
- Structuring a competitive industry,
- Accelerating industrial projects,
- Strengthening Europe's energy sovereignty.
INDUSTRIALISATION, INNOVATION, RECYCLING: STRONG SIGNALS IN A GROWING MARKET
The global solar market is experiencing unprecedented growth, in line with European and national policies, with over 700 GW installed by 2025.
According to the Becquerel Institute, almost 3 TW/year of additional photovoltaic capacity should be installed between now and 2030 to meet climate targets, confirming the scale of the market.
Accelerating industrialisation and organisation in the face of global competition
While most production capacity is now concentrated in China, Europe is trying to re-industrialise its industry.
The projects presented during the day are concrete examples of this dynamic:
- Voltec Solar plans a tandem perovskite-silicon production line by 2026,
- Heliup has raised €16m to accelerate its industrialisation,
- Carbon and HoloSolis secure their sites for gigafactories (Miramas (13) and Hambach (57), each with a planned capacity of 5 GW/year.
By way of comparison, some Asian plants already exceed 10 GW of annual capacity, which underlines the challenge ahead.
Innovation and R&D, levers for remaining competitive and repositioning Europe
Faced with this competition, innovation is a key lever, with internationally recognised players in France such as the CEA, the CNRS and the IPVF in particular, working on perovskite-silicon tandem cells, with theoretical yields of up to 40 %.
Recycling and eco-design: an industrial and environmental challenge
As the number of installations increases, the question of equipment end-of-life becomes central.
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the volume of photovoltaic waste could reach 78 million tonnes by 2050, This requires a shift towards a more circular and sustainable industry.
In this context :
- ROSI Solar estimates a potential recycling market of between 80 and 100 billion euros by 2050, with recovery of silver, silicon, aluminium, copper and glass,
- SORENoffers an eco-modulation simulator to encourage eco-design of panels.
European sovereignty: a stronger strategic challenge
The issue of industrial sovereignty was at the heart of the discussions.
While Europe is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050, it is still largely dependent on imports for its energy equipment.
The debate surrounding the Industrial Accelerator Act has highlighted a key issue: redefining what it really means to be an Industrial Accelerator. “Made in Europe”.
As Jules Nyssen, President of the Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables (SER) pointed out: “We need to give Made In Europe back the meaning it deserves”.”in order to build a truly European industry. The DGE is working on improvements to the text currently under discussion at European level.
A collective dynamic, an industry that is becoming more structured at all levels
Beyond the announcements, this day confirms a fundamental trend: the European solar industry is in the process of structuring itself, based on a strong link between European initiatives, national measures, concrete industrial projects and technological innovation.
And this at a time when solar energy could become the world's leading source of electricity by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency.
Sylvain BRÉMOND, Deputy Managing Director of the Capenergies competitiveness cluster: «After the first national solar PV industry day held in October 2024 in Martigues, at the instigation of Capenergies, I'm delighted that this second event in Grenoble has brought together even more participants. The discussions were very rich and I felt that there was a very strong alignment, even more so than at the first event.era We hope that the current international geopolitical situation will further accelerate awareness of the importance of taking all the necessary steps, particularly at European level, to enable industrial projects to come to fruition against a backdrop of strong growth. Let's hope that the current international geopolitical situation will further accelerate awareness of the importance of taking all the necessary steps, particularly at European level, to enable industrial projects to come to fruition, against a backdrop of strong international growth in solar energy».»
A day organised by Capenergies, Tenerrdis, INES - Institut National de l'Energie Solaire, CARBON, HoloSolis and the CEA.
With the support of ADEME, Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Région Sud - Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Université Grenoble Alpes
