New Report: Solar Power For Cities

• A new SPE report looks at the role of cities in Europe in contributing to energy transition
• Taking real-life examples from cities across the continent, the report stresses the importance of cities in deploying solar PV with their limited space
• Report advocates the importance of solar industry working in tandem with municipalities to power cities with this clean energy source

While governments across Europe are formulating national level policies to promote the development of renewables especially solar PV, cities on the frontline can play a major role in accelerating decarbonization more so by learning from their peers. To explore the challenges and opportunities cities face in the task, SolarPower Europe (SPE) has published a new report, using the real work of 33 cities.

Titled Solar Cities: 21 solar solutions for the city energy transition, the report is a first of its kind, according to the association, acting as a guide for the solar sector on how to strengthen their cooperation with the cities and the network of local authorities.

In charge of Strategic Partnerships, EU Policy and Overall Coordination, Energy Cities, Claire Roumet called solar a 'safe investment' for municipalities since 80% of energy consumption in the European Union (EU) is linked to urban activity.

As urban populations continue to grow, demand for sustainable electricity, transport, heating and cooling is on the rise too and this is where solar energy can help bring affordable and reliable energy supply. Yet, with limited land space, cities face challenges in deploying solar which can exclude citizens from accessing its benefits thereby delaying energy transition, according to the report.

The 21 solar solutions it provides, come with case studies of some cities having faced the challenges and figured out solutions on technical and regulatory levels, that others can learn from. Here are a few positive examples:

• Cities can learn from the energy sharing scheme Inclusive Communities Program of Greenvolt in Portugal, under which its solar panels cover more than 50% of the local social institution Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Cascais (SCMC) operated kindergarten to cover its daytime consumption.
• They can also pick points from The Future of Solar or Framtidens Solel program in Sweden that aims to promote investment in solar energy among small and medium enterprises (SME) by breaking down knowledge barriers around regulations and market intelligence to increase its uptake in this segment.
• A total of 61 municipal rooftops in France's Marseille are equipped with rooftop solar panels and aims to install the same on 60 more roofs. To ensure its targets are met, the city is encouraging training of solar installers through the French solar school Ecode de Production des Energies au Sud.

"All the local-scale projects in this report are inspiring examples, paving the path to broader deployment of solar power and renewable energy across Europe, and showing how much cities, regions, and energy agencies, are key stakeholders in ramping up the energy transition," said President of Fedarene and Managing Director of Regea (HR), Julije Domac.

The report is available for free download on SolarPower Europe's website.