Recently, the Dutch government announced the cancellation of funding for the second and third phases of the domestic photovoltaic manufacturing project SolarNL. This decision was proposed by the National Growth Fund (NGF), citing that “establishing a large-scale new photovoltaic manufacturing industry in the Netherlands is no longer realistic.”
The SolarNL project was launched in 2023 as a consortium involving companies like MCPV and Solarge, along with research institution TNO. It focused on cutting-edge technologies such as Heterojunction (HJT) solar cells and flexible perovskite thin films, with the aim of building a domestic photovoltaic manufacturing system in the Netherlands. The initial phase had already received €135 million in grants, with plans to add an additional €277 million in subsequent stages. However, this funding halt means all future financial support has been terminated.
MCPV, a core participant in the project, expressed strong regret over the decision. Its CEO, Mark Richter, emphasized that the EU urgently needs to build a resilient energy system, with solar power being a crucial low-cost net-zero technology. He stated, “The strategic value of Europe’s solar industry is comparable to that of agriculture and defense.” Reportedly, MCPV had previously raised €4.2 million and planned to build a 4GW HJT cell factory in the northern Netherlands, originally scheduled to commence production in 2026. The company has now shifted to alternative plans, with its module assembly plant in Spain having received support from the local RENOVAL program, and it is advancing other projects within and outside Europe.
This decision comes at a critical time when the European photovoltaic industry is calling for stronger support. The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) and SolarPower Europe (SPE) recently sent a joint letter to EU institutions, urging additional support measures beyond the Net-Zero Industry Act. This act, which came into effect in June 2024, aims for EU-made net-zero technologies to account for 40% of deployment by 2030. However, the EU currently relies on imports for 90% of its photovoltaic wafers, and existing production capacity falls far short of the target.
