ABSTRACT
Throughout the 80s and 90s, the key word for photovoltaics was economic competitiveness and growth only governed by the market law like for a standard consumer product. In contrast to accompanying policies for the established energy sectors (coal, petrol, nuclear) where considerable public support (justified by the strategic importance of the energy sectors for society) have been engaged, renewable energies development had to rely only on market driven policies. As the sector was not competitive, the result was evident: the growth was kept slow! The same would have taken place for the other energy industries, especially nuclear. PV would have stayed at a low level much longer, if public support policies would not have been implemented in pioneering countries like Germany and Japan. Since 2000 feed-in tariffs have catalyzed the endeavor of a real PV industry, and revolutionized the photovoltaic paradigm, bringing the PV domain under the growth assisted initial conditions. This was starting to make the “only market assisted” growth scenarios and roadmaps obsolete; but in 2007-2008, old schemes were prevailing again, and the voices to support photovoltaics were very weak and even becoming weaker in the context of emergency created by the acceleration of climate change considerations. Back to coal (but “clean”) and nuclear was in the dominant position. The danger was present to face the same situation as about 40 years before, in the 70s-80s, after the oil crisis, when solar energy, after being considered a credible alternative for energy supply, similar to nuclear, was suddenly dropped in many countries, especially in France. After the victory of the nuclear option, solar energy has been systematically denigrated and blocked. The winners wanted a complete victory over their competitors!
