The REPowerEU recently released a draft plan to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, which is worth €195 billion. By 2025, the European Commission will promote the installation of rooftop solar panels on every public building. Environmental restrictions will also be relaxed in order to approve renewable energy projects faster.
The proposals are expected to be published on 18 May as part of EU plans to reduce dependence on Russian energy following the invasion of Ukraine.
The solar rooftop initiative is to help reduce the use of natural gas in electricity and heating production. The new target is not decided yet, with the new percentage showing as “XX” between squared brackets in the proposal, which would amend the EU’s renewable energy directive.
If the proposal is adopted, governments will be required to reduce the licensing time of rooftop solar energy to three months and install such equipment on every available public building by 2025. According to the document, solar rooftop is an important part, and buildings with the highest energy consumption will be given priority.
The European Commission last year already proposed raising the EU’s renewable energy target to 40% by 2030, up from 32% currently. The proposal was part of a package of climate legislation tabled in July, which aims to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% before the end of the decade.
According to Walburga Hemetsberger, the CEO of trade association SolarPower Europe, the industry needs to reach 1 TW of total solar capacity by 2030, a solar manufacturing fund and new measures to maximise the potential of solar rooftop.
The European Commission does not comment on leaks.
