Filenews 20 May 2022 - by Angelos Nikolaou
As part of the effort to reduce the dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, the Commission decided to revise its targets and invest in solar energy, in an effort to simultaneously address the climate crisis. In order to boost the development of Renewable Energy Sources (RES), Brussels proposes to increase the 2030 headline target for renewable energy from 40% to 45% under the Fit for 55 package. They believe that they will achieve this through the "European Initiative for Solar Roofs", with the aim of reducing electricity and gas heating in homes, offices, shops and factories.
The programme calls on EU governments to take action to limit the licensing time to three months for solar panel installations on rooftops. This will be achieved with EU funds, while at the same time Member States will have to install solar power systems in all appropriate public buildings by 2025.
The Commission's solar energy strategy is oriented towards doubling solar photovoltaic capacity by 2025 and installing 600 GW by 2030, in addition to the solar roofing initiative with a gradual legal obligation to install solar panels in new public and commercial buildings and new residential buildings. Measures are also proposed to integrate geothermal and solar thermal energy into modernised urban and communal heating systems, as well as a Commission recommendation to address the slow and complex licensing of large renewable energy projects, as well as an amendment to the Renewable Energy Directive to recognise them as a "supreme public interest".
In particular, the Commission hopes that the measures decided upon will reduce it by €9 billion. cubic meters per year the consumption of natural gas until 2027. Through investments in photovoltaics, it is estimated that 25% of electricity in the EU will be covered.
Furthermore, the Commission also proposes to combine photovoltaics with heat and storage pumps, so that homes can also enjoy cheaper heating. It is noted that the installation of solar energy systems will be mandatory and for this purpose there are deadlines for the adaptation of the member states according to the category of the building and the age.
According to the Commission, electricity from solar panels is cheaper, while in the last decade their cost is lower by 82%.
Thus, by the end of 2022, the EU will: Increase the 2030 target for the share of Renewable Energy to 45% from 40% Limit the duration of the permit for solar installations on roofs, including large ones, to a maximum of 3 months. It adopts provisions to ensure that all new buildings are "ready for solar energy".
It will make it mandatory to install solar energy on the top floor for:
1) All new public and commercial buildings with a usable area of more than 250 sq.m. by 2026
2) All existing public and commercial buildings with a usable area of more than 250 sq. m. by 2027
3) all new residential buildings by 2029. The EU will also ensure that the legislation is fully implemented in all Member States, allowing consumers in apartment buildings to effectively exercise their right to collective self-consumption, without undue cost.
Access to solar energy for energy poor and vulnerable consumers
The EU and member states will work together to:
The creation of at least one energy community based on Renewable Energy Sources in each municipality with a population of more than 10,000 by 2025.
Ensure that energy poor and vulnerable consumers have access to solar energy, e.g. through social housing facilities, energy communities or support funding for individual installations.
The support of photovoltaics integrated in buildings for both new constructions and renovations of existing ones.
Ensuring the full implementation of the current provisions of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in relation to the nearly zero-energy model of buildings for new buildings, including through specific guidance.
Member States should establish strong support frameworks for rooftop systems, combined with energy storage and heat pumps, based on a predictable depreciation period of less than 10 years.
Member States as part of such a framework and where necessary to unlock investments, should set up a national support programme to ensure from next year:
Massive development of solar energy on the top floor, giving priority to the most suitable buildings for quick interventions (Energy Performance Certificate Categories A, B, C or D),
To combine the installation of solar energy with roof renovations and energy storage.
Projects and with public funding
The Commission will monitor progress in the implementation of this initiative on an annual basis, with industry stakeholders and Member States. If fully implemented, this Initiative, as part of the REPowerEU project, will accelerate roofing installations and add 19 TWh of electricity after its first year of implementation (36% more than the expected forecast in "Fit for 55"). By 2025, it will result in 58 TWh of additional electricity generation (more than double the "Fit for 55").
The Commission's analysis shows that additional investments in solar photovoltaics under REPowerEU will amount to €26 billion between now and 2027, in addition to the investments needed to meet the Fit for 55 targets.
Most of the funding will be private, but partly activated by public funding, including the EU. The European Recovery and Resilience Fund has already allocated at least €19 billion to accelerate the development of Renewable Energy Sources.
Other instruments contribute to this effort: the Social Cohesion Funds, InvestEU, the Innovation Fund, the Modernisation Fund, Horizon Europe and the LIFE programme. The Connecting Europe Facility and the EU Renewable Energy Financing Facility will also support cross-border cooperation on solar projects.
