Page 335 - ISES SWC50

11.9 SWC50 Supporter: Global Solar Council

GLOBAL SOLAR COUNCIL: THE VOICE OF THE GLOBAL INDUSTRY

What does it mean to be the voice of the global solar industry in 2020 with our eyes fixed on the landmark
decades ahead, to 2030, 2040 and 2050? The Global Solar Council recognizes that the enormous potential of
solar PV has implications that go far beyond the field of electricity generation: shifting away from centralized
energy systems built around fossil fuels and towards far greater penetration of solar power will change
economic and social relations, creating new opportunities for people in a vast range of jobs and benefits for
the Planet, People and Prosperity.
That is the spirit that lies behind the work of the Global Solar Council, a non-profit body representing national,
regional and international associations as well as leading solar sector corporations (see box). Founded at
the 2015 Paris climate conference as a private-sector response to the climate emergency, the GSC brings
together associations from both established and emerging markets that represent companies all along the
solar supply chain.

Our Vision
Solar energy is the leading solution to the world’s energy needs.

Our Mission
To promote the rapid adoption of solar energy globally, through market development, partnerships
and education.

It’s impossible to talk about the future of the solar PV industry, however, without recognizing the turbulent year
we’ve been living through in 2020 and the implications the Covid-19 crisis has on solar power’s prospects.
The Global Solar Council took action in April 2020, surveying about 500 businesses in over 60 countries
worldwide to get real-time information from companies on the ground about how they were being impacted
and get their input on how governments and institutions could respond and support the PV sector.

Building Back Better After The Pandemic
In the short-term, the pandemic was particularly disruptive - a dramatic contrast to the growth story that had
been common in recent years. Firstly, there was the local factor, cited by more than half of respondents (57%),
because lockdowns and restrictions on work and travel hampered day-to-day operations on installations and
interrupted the administrative procedures; secondly, just over a third (37%) of respondents said they had
problems getting orders, suffering from lower client demand, and struggled to finalize contracts. A lesser
problem was the interruption to global supply chains, helped for sure by the rebound in activity in China.
What has emerged from these challenging business conditions has been a broader political and social
consensus about the need to “build back better” and put clean energy technologies such as solar power at
the heart of government stimulus plans. Nowhere has this been clearer than in the European Commission’s
“green deal” package of recovery policies but there are many other examples around the world.

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