Study on the competitiveness of the EU renewable energy industry : Final report to DG Enterprise & Industry, 31 July 2014

The study has identified several notable strengths of the EU REI, which allow it to stay competitive in the global market: - The EU renewable energy supply side has been developing for over 100 years. The industry has capitalised on this comparative advantage and demonstrable track record of successful EU projects to open up new markets globally, especially in onshore wind and solar PV. EU companies have helped to set technology and operational standards that have been adopted in emerging markets. - Growth in non-EU markets is leading to the emergence of strong foreign renewables supply chains. Emerging economies offer massive long-term potential for RE technology deployment. The EU REI must focus its attention on understanding which parts of European value chains remain competitive and where new investments should be directed in order to sustain competitive advantage into the long-term, as is the currently the case in the global wind energy markets. - EU renewable energy companies remain some of the most important market players globally. Table 1 provides a competitiveness assessment of the main sectors and sub-sectors reviewed in this study. It has been informed by the literature review and consultations with industry and trade associations and seeks to distil the vast amount of information and insights (captured in sector summaries in an accompanying report) into a ‘snapshot’ of performance in 2014