EU streamlines process for installing solar energy systems

Starting this year, the authorization procedure for the installation of solar energy equipment in the countries of the European Union cannot exceed three months. This is the historic decision taken by the European Union's energy ministers, who for the first time have used an emergency law, which will last 18 months, to encourage the installation and use of renewable energy. According to the Council regulation establishing a temporary framework, the installation of solar energy equipment with a capacity of up to 50 kW, including for people who produce solar energy for their own consumption, will benefit from a tacit agreement after a month from the application, provided that there are no problems with the security, stability and reliability of the network.

The decision falls within the scope of the REPowerEU directive, approved in May 2022 to achieve independence from fossil fuels from Moscow as soon as possible, encourage the development of renewable energy and speed up the energy transition in the European Union. This directive is part of the EU's broader electrification and shift towards renewable energy project designed to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal, the plan to transform EU climate, energy, transport and taxation policies into to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.

According to a recent report by SolarPower Europe, photovoltaic panels with a total capacity of 41.4 GW of solar energy were installed in the European Union in 2022, an increase of 47% compared to the 28.1 GW installed in 2021, thus bringing the overall capacity to 208.9 GW. 

In another report, SolarPower Europe announces that today more than one million European homes are powered by solar energy storage systems, for a total of 9.3 GWh.