Europe's Commercial Solar Sector: A Cooling Trend After the Boom?
After a period of explosive growth driven by an unprecedented energy crisis, Europe's solar photovoltaic (PV) market is entering a new, more complex phase. While the past few years saw record-breaking installation numbers as businesses and nations scrambled for energy security, 2024 has brought a distinct cooling of the market. This isn't a crash, but rather a significant stabilisation. The frantic urgency has subsided, revealing a landscape marked by new economic and structural hurdles that are reshaping the sector's trajectory. A Dramatic Change of Pace The numbers paint a clear picture of this shift. According to industry body SolarPower Europe, the overall growth rate of the EU solar market plummeted from a staggering 53% in 2023 to just over 4% in 2024. While the total installed capacity still set a new record of around 65.5 GW, the pace of deployment has slowed dramatically. Within this broader trend, the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) sector has shown re...