THE NEEDS AND PROSPECTS OF PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY-A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

In photovoltaic systems development four major areas of interest can be seen in Europe. These are elementary electricity supply to isolated houses, photovoltaic applications in buildings and grid-connected houses, power plants in the megawatt range for utility applications and last but not least, cooperation with developing countries. The Commission of the European Communities has traditionally given strong emphasis to photovoltaic system development. In the budget period 1993-94, the Commission has provided approximately 20 Mio ECU (23 Mio US Dollars) for system development, demonstration projects and regional integration. This represents about 50% of the Commission's total spending on photovoltaics. The European Community institutions, in cooperation with the governments of the EFTA countries, are currently preparing the Fourth Framework Programme in research and technological development which covers the period until 1998 and which will include photovoltaic development and demonstration. The EC Commission is considering a further increase of the funding for photovoltaics in this Programme.