- CAN Europe believes EU member states have no consistent policy environment and a lack of clear roadmap for rooftop solar
- There are varied support schemes that are also not stable, and no targeted support for low-income households
- The member states need to reduce bureaucracy & seriously implement guidelines for Renewable Energy Communities and Citizen Energy Communities
The rooftop solar PV segment grew by 54% annually in the European Union (EU) in 2023. Yet, despite this growth in demand, most member states lack a clear roadmap and strategy for rooftop solar PV. While France is one of the top performing nations in terms of rooftop solar policy and practices, Bulgaria remains the worst-performing country in the EU in terms of rooftop solar PV rollout.
This is what the Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe) found in its Rooftop Solar PV Comparison Update, a report card for the good and bad practices of the member nations to facilitate the deployment of this application, since its last report.
The report examines 11 EU member states of Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Sweden. It is an update over CAN Europe’s May 2022 report where it recommended a goal of 5 million new rooftop solar PVs in 2025 (see Europe Must Do More To Speed Up Rooftop Solar).
According to one of the updated report’s key findings, there is a variation in support schemes across the member states. While some of them use feed-in-tariffs (FIT), others rely on net billing. There is also frequent change in policy, which has impacted consumer confidence and sector stability. It also found a lack of targeted support for low-income households to go solar.
CAN Europe analysts admit that the recent EU regulations have created a favorable permitting environment for residential rooftop PV. Nonetheless, more than a year later, the CAN Europe report found inconsistency in its implementation at the national and local levels.
In Spain, for instance, there was a boom in rooftop solar in 2022. However, higher interest rates, lower electricity prices and delays in the payment of subsidies played spoilsport for residential solar.
Even though some of these member nations have been found to have reduced permit times and simplified procedures, bureaucratic hurdles still need to be eased.
The member states have also not been able to fully develop an enabling framework to support the implementation of Renewable Energy Communities (REC) and Citizen Energy Communities (CEC) despite these making it into national legislation, barring Sweden. “However, most are very superficial and provide very little detail (if any) on the actual principles, basically copy-pasting the definitions of the RED II and Electricity Directive and often delegating the task of developing more comprehensive legislation to an authority, such as the energy regulator,” finds the report.
To ensure timely uptake of rooftop solar in the EU, the report writers recommend a series of measures, including increasing public awareness, deploying smart meters and ensuring grid readiness. They say these are essential for the segment’s future growth.
At the same time, the member states need to ensure training programs for installers and administrative staff to have skilled workforce, aligned with the rising demand for solar PV.
CAN Europe’s full updated report titled Engaging citizens and local communities in the solar revolution An Update is available for free download on its website. It also offers country-specific sub-reports.
Soon after the report was published, the EU Council formally adopted the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, setting a growth path for rooftop solar in the bloc (see Time For New European Union Buildings To Get ‘Solar Ready’).
