Europe has proved it can deploy renewable generation at scale. The next challenge is making every kilowatt-hour work harder. Jia Chao, President of LONGi Europe, Distributed Generation, explains why intelligent energy systems, battery storage and predictive technologies will define the next stage of Europe's energy transition.
For much of the past two decades, the European solar industry has been driven by a clear objective: generate more renewable electricity. That ambition has transformed the continent's energy landscape. Photovoltaic module efficiencies have continued to improve, installation costs have fallen dramatically and solar power has evolved from a niche technology into one of Europe's fastest-growing sources of electricity generation.
Millions of homes, businesses and public buildings now generate their own clean energy, while large-scale solar farms have become an increasingly familiar part of Europe's infrastructure.
This success, however, is changing the questions the industry needs to answer.