Breaking down the barriers to solar photovoltaic development

PV LEGAL project finds that despite some progress, many EU Member States still must remove obstacles to the deployment of renewable energy systems, especially solar PV One year after the deadline for transposing the RES Directive, with which the EU aims to reach 20% of renewable energy sources (RES) by 2020, how well have Member States done in reducing bureaucratic barriers to the development of solar photovoltaic (PV) power? PV LEGAL, a two-and-a-half-year European initiative, answers this question in a new report looking at 12 key countries. The results are decidedly mixed. In some countries, improvements have been observed. For example, developing a residential system is much quicker in France, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal. Online registration systems, less stringent permitting requirements, and one-stop shop systems have helped reduce the time required to process requests. But elsewhere in Europe the picture is not as bright. In Spain, overly burdensome bureaucracy is the reason for needing an incredible 89 weeks to develop a commercial rooftop system. Complying with these regulations and grid connection processes represents almost half the development cost of a project. The same is true in Bulgaria and in the United Kingdom. Grid connection difficulties remain the greatest bottleneck to …