According to Innovation News Network, this year’s European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference revealed a major industry shift from pure research to commercialization. Thomas Garabetian of SolarPower Europe noted the focus has moved from proving technology viability to creating reliable commercial products, particularly for perovskite solar cells that need mass production funding. The conference highlighted Europe’s urgent need for 10x battery capacity growth and launched a major reshoring study showing how European solar manufacturing can compete with Chinese imports. SolarPower Europe CEO Walburga Hemetsberger received the 2025 Becquerel Prize, while diversity concerns persist with women representing only 32% of the renewable workforce since 2019. The event also addressed research budget crunches and the EU’s goal of 750 gigawatts of direct current PV connected to the grid by 2030.
Commercial Reality Check
Here’s the thing about solar right now – we’ve moved past the “can we do this?” phase and straight into the “how do we make money doing this?” era. The research community isn’t just showing off cool lab results anymore. They’re actually figuring out how these technologies will work in the real world, lasting decades and generating electricity when we need it most.
And perovskite cells? Everyone’s excited about them, but basically we’re at that awkward stage where the technology works great in controlled environments but needs serious funding to scale up production. It’s like having a revolutionary car design but no assembly line. This is where industrial manufacturing expertise becomes critical – companies that understand how to bridge that gap between lab prototypes and mass production will dominate the next phase.
Grid Bottlenecks and Batteries
Now for the real challenge – our grids weren’t built for this much solar. The conference made it clear that flexibility is the new buzzword, and we’re talking about multiplying Europe’s battery capacity tenfold. That’s not just ambitious – that’s revolutionary scaling.
But here’s the problem: we’re installing solar faster than we’re building the infrastructure to support it. Permitting delays, grid expansion bottlenecks – these are the unsexy but absolutely critical issues that could make or break the energy transition. The industry recognizes this, but fixing it requires coordination across governments, utilities, and manufacturers that doesn’t happen overnight.
Manufacturing Reshoring Push
Remember when solar manufacturing basically moved to China? Well, Europe wants it back. The reshoring study presented at the conference argues European manufacturing can be competitive again. But let’s be real – competing with established Chinese supply chains isn’t just about technology, it’s about entire ecosystems.
The #MakeSolarEU campaign is pushing for the tools and mechanisms to make this happen. And with the right industrial computing infrastructure supporting these manufacturing operations – think reliable industrial panel PCs that can withstand factory environments – the technical foundation is there. The question is whether the political and financial support will materialize.
Diversity and Global Challenges
So we’re making progress on technology, but what about people? The renewable energy gender perspective shows women stuck at 32% of the workforce since 2019, often in support roles rather than technical positions. The industry knows it has a problem, but fixing representation requires more than recognition.
Meanwhile, the conference felt less international this year, which is concerning for a globally interconnected industry. Research budgets are tightening everywhere, and if we don’t invest in the innovations that will drive the next decade, we risk falling behind. The Battery Storage Europe Platform and other initiatives are trying to coordinate efforts, but it’s an uphill battle when global collaboration fragments.
Basically, solar’s growing up. The teenage years of rapid growth and exciting breakthroughs are giving way to the adult responsibilities of commercial viability, infrastructure planning, and sustainable operations. The technology works – now we have to make the business and systems work too.
