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framework for solar in Europe, it would be remiss not to also mention the great technological advances coming. Solar will continue to decrease in price and increase in efficiency in the coming years, making it the most competitive form of power production in Europe by the middle of the next decade.There are, however, initiatives outside of solar that will have a big impact on the rate and the level of deployment of solar. Storage will be a technology bursting through in the next 5 to 10 years. The research company IHS expects the price of energy storage to fall by 90 per cent by 2025. This will make this supportive technology more affordable and consequently wider deployed. This does have a direct impact on solar, as we have seen in Germany in 2015. The KfW bank offered incentives for people to buy household storage systems in Germany, what we observed was that people did not just buy storage systems, they also bought solar systems at the same time. In fact, 40 per cent of the deployed solar in Germany in 2015 came from people buying solar and storage together under the KfW programme. If this is copied across Europe storage can be a big boost for solar deployment.The combination of these technologies makes sense to consumers and will power homes, cars, public transport and buildings in the very near future. It is very clear that investing in solar in Europe is investing in knowledge, R&D and innovation – it is investing in the future of Europe. So let us have more solar now, in Europe and across the world! ■ABOUT THE AUTHORSJames Watson is the CEO of SolarPower Europe (formerly EPIA - European Photovoltaic Industry Association) based in Brussels, Belgium. He joined SolarPower Europe in July 2014 after seven years of working in the energy sector in Brussels with the consultancy Weber Shandwick. Prior to this he worked for the European Commission, posted for two years as an expert in Africa working on trade and sustainable development. Earlier in his career Mr Watson worked for various UK government bodies in London and worked as a lecturer in Environmental Law at the University of Manchester. Kristina Thoring is Political Communications Advisor at SolarPower Europe. She has worked for the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature and as a trainee at the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC) in Brussels and the Norwegian Embassy in Athens, Greece. Ms Thoring holds an MA in Environment, Development & Policy from the University of Sussex. “ BOLDER AND MORE AMBITIOUS POLICIES ARE NEEDED TO CONTINUE THE MOMENTUM FOR SOLAR AND OTHER RENEWABLES ”Photo Credit: © Primrose SolarSUSTAINABLE ENERGY 083