Rooftop PV takes off in EU – NGO report

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) in the EU is thriving due to new strategies and regulatory changes adopted by the bloc since 2022, in large part because of Russia's war on Ukraine, according to a new report by Brussels-based NGO Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe. The rooftop solar market grew by 54 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year as the EU accelerated the roll-out of renewables. Focusing on the evolving landscape in 11 EU member states (Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and Romania), CAN Europe’s latest analysis examines their progress in the deployment and facilitation of household rooftop solar PV since its previous report published in May 2022.

In Germany, solar balcony systems have become increasingly popular, although they still face bureaucratic hurdles, the report found. The systems typically consist of one or two solar panels mounted outside a balcony, allowing homeowners and renters to generate their electricity and reduce their dependence on grid power.

A large number of countries have introduced changes in legislation to accelerate regulatory procedures. Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria and Romania removed the need for construction permits for rooftop PV, while Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria and Spain have introduced a “positive silence” for small-scale PV projects, according to which the absence of a reply by relevant authorities entails the approval of the permit.