Europe's 2026 Push for Local Solar PV Manufacturing: Ending Foreign Supply Chain Dependency?

The EuroCZFactory project, part of the European Commission’s Horizon Europe program, was recently launched with the aim of bolstering manufacturing capacity in key segments of Europe's photovoltaic (PV) supply chain.

Partners of the EuroCZFactory project held a two-day kick-off meeting on June 23–24, 2026, in Trondheim, Norway, hosted by SINTEF (the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research). The meeting brought together 16 partners from across Europe’s solar PV manufacturing, research, and innovation sectors to agree on the project's technical roadmap and initial implementation steps.

The project focuses on two core raw materials for PV cells: silicon ingots and wafers. Despite the continued expansion of installed PV capacity in Europe, there has long been a significant gap in local production capacity for silicon wafers and ingots.

Spanning 42 months, the project will see a joint R&D team tackle the full suite of process technologies required for the localized mass production of Czochralski (CZ) monocrystalline silicon ingots and wafers. Research activities will cover the optimization of silicon crystal growth and wafer slicing processes, the establishment of digital smart manufacturing lines, and the creation of a pilot production line using full-scale manufacturing equipment to validate the technology in a real-world setting.

Advancing technology in the upstream PV manufacturing sector is the core objective of EuroCZFactory; the project aims to build up Europe's autonomous core PV manufacturing technologies, narrow the local supply chain capacity gap, and provide technical support for future European PV industry support initiatives.

During the kick-off meeting, partners presented the project's core technology R&D areas, organizational structure, and coordination mechanisms. A consensus was reached that EuroCZFactory must align with various European PV industry support programs to collaboratively strengthen the local PV manufacturing ecosystem.

Moving forward, SolarPower Europe will lead efforts regarding the dissemination of project results, the commercialization of technology, and external communications, while also playing a key role in several strategic tasks.

In the project's initial phase, SolarPower Europe will coordinate engagement with supply chain companies, investment institutions, policymakers, local governments, and ESG experts. They will identify the pain points hindering the expansion of European silicon ingot and wafer production capacity, including technical bottlenecks, funding gaps, and regulatory barriers. The team will comprehensively map out various EU and local funding channels—including the EU Innovation Fund, Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), and dedicated regional investment pathways—to support the expansion of local manufacturing.

In the initial phase, the project will focus on establishing the foundational infrastructure for implementation, finalizing technical standards, setting up multi-party coordination mechanisms, and launching official external communication channels. EuroCZFactory will provide further detailed updates as the project progresses.