Europe Bi-facial Solar Market Outlook, 2031

Market Drivers

• REPowerEU Targets and Policy Momentum: The European Union's REPowerEU plan, targeting 750 GW of solar capacity by 2030, continues to drive bifacial deployment despite market slowdown. The bloc achieved its 2025 milestone of 406 GW cumulative capacity. Germany's Federal Network Agency confirmed 117 GW cumulative installations, while France's solar park reached 31.3 GW. National-level implementation frameworks in Germany, Spain, Italy, and France continue to provide policy support, with SolarPower Europe reporting that Germany and Spain remained the EU's largest solar markets in 2025, primarily driven by utility-scale projects.
• Superior Bifacial Economics in Utility-Scale Projects: Bifacial modules have become the default specification for utility-scale projects across Europe due to their ability to deliver 5% to 30% higher energy yields compared to monofacial alternatives. The cost advantage is reflected in widespread adoption of bifacial modules combined with single-axis tracking systems that lift yields by up to 20%. ITRPV confirms bifacial cells now represent above 90% of the market. Germany and Spain's utility-scale dominance in 2025 demonstrates how bifacial technology's yield advantage translates into superior project economics.

Market Challenges

• First Market Contraction Since 2016 and Profitability Pressures: Europe's solar market contracted by 0.7% in 2025, marking the first decline in nearly a decade. SolarPower Europe's report highlights growing profitability problems as operators face increasing challenges from negative price hours that reduce revenue from electricity sales. Tighter financing conditions across member states, supply chain pressures, and weakening demand for rooftop systems have contributed to the slowdown. The residential rooftop segment has been particularly affected, with SolarPower Europe attributing much of the contraction to declining residential installations and national support cuts. Poland's 3.6 GW of solar installations in 2025 marks a decline from the 4 GW added in 2024, while the Netherlands' 1.4 GW additions represent a significant deceleration from previous years.
• Negative Electricity Prices and Grid Integration Constraints: The surge in renewable generation across Europe has created unprecedented negative electricity price events that directly impact bifacial project economics. Increasing hours with negative prices diminish revenues from electricity sales, challenging the financial viability of new projects. Grid congestion in high-solar regions, particularly in southern Germany and Spain, has intensified curtailment risks. Italy's renewable energy communities (CER) reached 174.5 MW capacity by year-end across over 1,800 configurations, yet grid infrastructure struggles to accommodate distributed generation growth. The 2030 target of 750 GW appears increasingly challenging under current deployment trajectories.

Market Trends

• TOPCon Technology Transition and PERC Decline: The 16th edition of ITRPV confirms TOPCon has become the dominant technology in Europe's bifacial market, with PERC expected to fall below 20% market share. All major new cell architectures are naturally compatible with bifacial operation. TOPCon bifacial module prices reached €0.090/W by late 2025, becoming cheaper than monofacial alternatives for the first time. Prices rebounded nearly 20% above their mid-2025 trough by early 2026, underlining the strengthening position of next-generation module architectures. Manufacturers are rapidly transitioning production capacity, with JinkoSolar introducing Tiger Neo 3.0, Astronergy's TOPCon 5.0 technology boosting cell efficiency by 0.35% to 0.45%, and Solarwatt's vision XS 5.0 style targeting complex roof surfaces. AESOLAR's Meteor module achieved first place in PV Magazine's outdoor energy yield test.
• Agrivoltaic and Dual-Use Bifacial Deployment: Europe is emerging as a leader in agrivoltaic applications where bifacial technology's dual-use capability addresses land-use conflicts. Germany's Vattenfall commissioned the Tützpatz agrivoltaic plant deploying 146,000 bifacial 550W modules across 93 hectares. The vertical bifacial configuration maintains over 80% of land for agricultural use while generating power during morning and evening hours, complementing the midday peak of conventional tilted systems. The ground-mounted systems segment accounted for the largest share of the European market in 2025. Germany's agrivoltaic leadership is expected to continue due to sustained policy support and ongoing technical innovation.