According to an analysis of 26 projects, EU member states have dramatically increased their solar energy goals within their updated national energy and climate plans.
SolarPower Europe said that 26 of the 27 EU countries have submitted updated national energy and climate plans (NECPs), increasing their solar targets by an average of 87% from previous versions.
Governments are banking on renewables more than ever, but grid and flexibility planning lags far behind renewable targets, putting the energy transition at risk, the organization added.
EU member states were supposed to submit updated draft NECPs last summer. The only country missing is Austria. SolarPower Europe noted that its NECP is “on hold indefinitely”. In 2019, the European Commission approved the previous phase of the plans in 2019.
According to the analysis, Lithuania and Ireland stand out by increasing their targets by more than five and 10 respectively. Poland tripled its target, while Finland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden more than doubled their previous targets. Spain has increased its ambition by 95%, the report says.
NECPs lack long-term support schemes, targets for consumers
The Union stressed that most NECPs fail to provide long-term visibility to 2030 by introducing support schemes. Besides auction pipelines, investors also need a clear view of self-consumption schemes, especially as net metering is being phased out, he added.
Regarding decentralized photovoltaic generation, only Spain, France, Croatia, Ireland, Portugal and Romania have provided quantitative targets for rooftop PV. The rest do not distinguish between rooftop and utility-scale facilities, which creates a problem for the visibility of the rooftop market, the report’s authors emphasize.
The description and trajectory of support earmarked for manufacturers or energy communities is often limited or partial, he said. Only Greece, France, Ireland, Italy and Lithuania provided sufficiently detailed information on consumers, while Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Poland passed the energy communities segment, the document said.
Bonadio: Without proper system planning, solar projects will go to waste
SolarPower Europe Senior Policy Advisor Jonathan Bonadio said Europe risks putting the cart before the horse. “Energy system planning should be aligned with energy production targets. “Without proper energy system planning, solar projects will not be implemented, solar energy will be wasted and the business case for solar energy will be undermined.”
According to the report, NECPs fail to truly connect the dots that are critical to making the energy transition a reality: grid deployment, modernization and flexibility. Less than half of the EU countries have relevant energy storage targets, only two plan relevant investment in their distribution networks, and only four have provided a realistic target for demand-side flexibility through the roll-out of smart meters or demand-side response: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Croatia.
Only two countries have set a target or investment plan for their distribution network
This demand-side gap is preventing citizens from adapting to the new energy reality, the report says.
Its authors emphasized demand-side flexibility as a key tool to reduce investments in slow-to-build network infrastructure.
Regarding energy storage, plans for Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania and Portugal include specific targets such as megawatts, megawatt-hours or euros.
The analysis shows that while the lack of storage infrastructure or demand-side response undoubtedly and unnecessarily puts pressure on the electricity grid, only France and Malta have set a target or investment plan for their distribution electricity grid.
SolarPower highlighted that the overall ambition for 2030 is seen at 626 GW, compared to the EU Solar Strategy target of 750 GW and industrial capacity of 902 GW.
Governments now have until June 30 to submit any updates before their plans are considered final.
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