- New report compares European countries’ policies and practices in regards to residential rooftop solar PV and reveals the lack of a right regulatory framework and many barriers that are hindering their progress.
- The upcoming EU Solar Energy Strategy and the announced European Solar Rooftops Initiative need to provide direction for member states to accelerate their rollout of rooftop solar PV.
- Member states need to take immediate action that will enable an accelerated deployment of rooftop solar PV while at the same time developing a clear and ambitious strategy, supported by a thorough analysis, that will secure a continuous rollout.
The new Rooftop Solar PV Comparison Report produced by CAN Europe, with contributions from eco-union and other members, reveals the lack of clear policies and regulatory framework for rooftop solar PV expansion and the administrative, political, and economic barriers that are blocking the path to a just and renewable energy future where citizens and communities are active players.
The report determines each of the countries’ performances by examining six key areas in relation to the deployment of rooftop solar PV: governance, incentives & support schemes, permitting procedures, energy sharing & collective self-consumption, energy communities and additional measures to support a much higher uptake of residential rooftop solar PV among their citizens and local communities. While countries performed well in some of these areas, overall, no country did exceedingly good, and there is major room for improvement in each of the countries.
The upcoming ‘REPowerEU’ package and the EU Solar Energy Strategy is a pivotal moment for the Commission to give clear direction towards a major expansion of solar energy throughout Europe in the context of the war in Ukraine, the fossil fuel crisis and the current climate emergency. In the short-term, Member States need to begin immediately rolling out solar panels for rooftops while in parallel, putting together a clear road map with ambitious targets that are underpinned by continuous and thorough assessments.
Read the full report here.