We all know the benefits of clean, cheap, and practically limitless solar power— but, despite its obvious benefits and the plentiful nature of the raw materials that go into making PV cells, most of the rooftops I see still don’t have solar panels on them. But that could soon change … in the EU, at least, where the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced plans for a government mandate that would see rooftop solar power placed on all commercial and public buildings by 2027, and new residential buildings by 2029.
The mandate is presented as part of a larger plan to support the EU’s stated targets for renewable energy production, which were recently increased from 40% to 45% of the total energy used.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
Image courtesy Finnish gov’t.
The solar experts at PV Magazine report that the European Commission is taking its “mission to become independent from Russian fossil fuels as quickly as possible” to “another level,” EC President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference for the REPowerEU plan. “I know this is ambitious, but it is realistic, we can do it,” she said, noting that the EU’s investment in renewables should be the bloc’s “biggest task” in the years to come.
In addition to providing more grid resilience and reducing the overall demand on fossil fuels, the move is expected to create thousands of new, skilled jobs. “Today the European Commission recognizes the immense potential of rooftop solar– as well as the need for a solar workforce to roll out both rooftop and utility solar across Europe,” said Dries Acke, policy director at Solar Power Europe. “We foresee up to 1.1 million solar jobs in Europe by 2030, and the EU Solar Skills Partnership will help deliver the workers on the ground.
We’re big fans of all that stuff— but of course we are. This isn’t PetroTechnica, after all (great URL, though). What do you guys think? Would you like to see a similar solar mandate in the US or Australia or wherever else you’re reading from? Let us know, in the comments!
Source | Images: PVM.
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