EU drive for new clean energy could see solar panels on all new buildings

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EU drive for new clean energy could see solar panels on all new buildings

17 May 2022 Clean energy investing 0

All new buildings in the EU would be fitted with solar panels on their roofs under plans to turbocharge a drive for renewable energy to replace the continent’s need for Russian oil and gas.

The European Commission wants half the bloc’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2030, more than double the current figure. The total cost of achieving this would reach hundreds of billions of euros but be offset by an annual €84bn saving on imported fuel, according to a copy of the plan seen by the Financial Times and dubbed RepowerEU.

One proposal is to “introduce an obligation to have rooftop solar installations for all new buildings and all existing buildings of energy performance class D and above [the most energy-intensive]”.

The original EU plan to cut carbon emissions by 55 per cent of their 1990 level by 2030 called for a target of 40 per cent renewables. But the war in Ukraine has spurred Brussels to seek energy independence from Russia, which accounts for 40 per cent of the region’s gas and about 20 per cent of its oil supplies.

The RepowerEU document, which could still be amended before publication on Wednesday, says that renewables are the best way to fight climate change and achieve energy independence, along with liquefied natural gas imports and hydrogen generated from renewable electricity.

Householders will pay an average of €309 extra a year under the plans.

“The higher fuel costs and the additional effort to reduce gas consumption increase the cost of the energy system by almost 10 per cent by €1,721bn per year on average in the 2021-2030 decade,” the document says.

The commission wants to speed up construction of wind farms and solar arrays by forcing member states to designate “go-to” zones with lower environmental standards and processes for fast-track approvals.

“Member states should set up national support programmes to ensure swift massive deployment of rooftop solar energy in buildings starting with high energy consumption buildings,” the document says. “Where appropriate, this effort must be combined with roof renovations and deployment of energy storage and heat pumps.

“The member states should also mobilise to install solar energy in all public buildings fit for it, from administrative offices to schools.”

The plan also addresses pinch points in the EU’s gas infrastructure that prevent member states sending imported gas to neighbours in the event of Russian supplies being cut off. Gazprom, the state-owned company, has already stopped supplying Poland and Bulgaria after they refused to settle accounts in roubles. They have been getting gas from neighbours but there is limited capacity across the bloc.

The most important projects are: changing requirements between France and Germany over the odorisation of gas for safety reasons; connecting pipelines running from Germany to central Europe to LNG imports; improving interconnections in Poland; and a new connection from Greece, which can import LNG, to the rest of Europe.

The EU wants countries to use various sources to fund the links, including the recovery and resilience fund, a common debt facility. Most member states have already allocated the money but should revise their plans, the paper said.

It also calls for an annual 2 per cent cut in energy use, in contrast to the current target of 1.5 per cent.

The plans acknowledge that if Russia decides to cut supplies entirely there would need to be gas rationing. It says that the chemical, glass and ceramics industries, which account for half of industrial gas use, would be the sectors affected.

Full implementation of the RepowerEU proposals would lower gas consumption by 30 per cent, equivalent to 100bn cubic metres, by 2030, it is estimated.

Many of the proposals will require the approval of national governments and the European parliament. 

The commission declined to comment.

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