In order to speed up the development of renewable energy in response to the energy crisis and the knock-on effect of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Commission recently proposed a temporary emergency regulation.
The proposal, which is scheduled to last for a year, would remove administrative red tape for permitting and development, allowing renewable energy projects to be commissioned quickly. It highlights "technologies and project types with the greatest potential for rapid development and the least environmental impact".
According to the proposal, the grid connection permit period for solar PV installed in man-made structures (buildings, parking lots, transportation infrastructure, greenhouses) as well as in co-located energy storage systems is up to one month.
The measures will also exempt such facilities as well as solar power plants with a capacity of less than 50kW, subject to the need for certain environmental assessments, citing the concept of "active administrative silence".
The new regulations specifically include
Temporarily relax the environmental protection requirements for the construction of renewable energy power plants, simplify the approval procedures, and set a maximum approval time limit;
If existing renewable energy power plants want to increase production capacity or resume production, the required EIA standards can also be temporarily relaxed, and the approval procedures are simplified;
The maximum approval period for installing solar power installations on buildings shall not exceed one month;
The maximum approval time for an existing renewable energy power plant to apply for an increase or resumption of production shall not exceed six months;
The maximum approval period for the construction of a geothermal power plant shall not exceed three months;
The environmental protection, animal protection and public interest protection standards required for new or expanded renewable energy facilities can be temporarily relaxed.
As part of the measures, solar power, heat pumps and clean energy plants will be seen as an "overriding public interest" and, subject to "appropriate mitigation measures, with appropriate monitoring to assess their effectiveness", the projects will be Benefit from reduced assessment and regulation.
EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said, "The EU is accelerating renewable energy development, with a record 50GW of new capacity expected to be added this year. To effectively address high electricity prices, ensure energy independence and meet climate goals, we need to accelerate the pace further. "
The emergency proposal came after the EU planned to raise its solar target to 740GWdc by 2030 as part of the REPowerEU plan unveiled in March. Solar PV development in the EU is on track to reach 40GW by the end of this year, however, the Commission said that in order to reach the 2030 target, development would need to grow by a further 50% to 60GW per year.
The European Commission said the proposal was aimed at accelerating development in the short term to ease administrative bottlenecks and insulate more European countries from the weaponization of Russian gas, while also helping to lower energy prices. These emergency provisions are tentatively implemented for one year.
Across Europe, the maximum permit period for solar PV on man-made land and buildings is one month
Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president of the European Green Deal, said: "Renewable energy is a triple win for Europeans: it is cheaper to produce, it makes our planet cleaner, and it is not manipulated by Russia. The proposal is A quick green transition is another step in tackling the energy crisis triggered by the Russian-Ukrainian war."
By setting a maximum permit period of six months, the proposal would also speed up the re-powering of renewable energy plants and simplify the grid connection process, provided that additional power does not exceed 15% of the original project.
Last week, the European Investment Bank pledged to add 30 billion euros ($29.7 billion) in loan and equity financing to the REPowerEU program. Since the Russian invasion, the EU has continued to invest in and develop energy security.