The energy ministers of five EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain) sent a letter to the European Commission, on Wednesday 4 May, asking it to include a specific solar energy initiative (‘European Solar Act’) in the final version of its REPowerEU plan, with the aim of installing 1 TW of photovoltaic capacity in the EU by 2030.
In comparison, 25.9 GW of new PV capacity was installed in the EU in 2021, according to SolarPower Europe.
For the signatory ministers, the initiative should include: - a requirement to install solar panels on flat roofs, public buildings, supermarkets and retail outlets as well as industrial areas and brownfields; - a target of producing 75% of the EU’s photovoltaic capacity by 2030; - the launch of a dedicated support mechanism aimed at scaling up existing solar manufacturing capacities and promote innovation.
They also state that the installation of solar panels should become the norm when building a house, doing a major renovation or a roof renovation.
“The EU can deploy at least 70 million solar rooftops by 2030 in Europe. This will generate 1100 TWh of electricity and create millions of local jobs”, the letter further emphasises.
The final version of the REPowerEU plan (see EUROPE 12906/4) is due to be presented on 18 May.
See the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/1ic (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)