The Renewable Energy Association (REA) is leading the UK arm of a 30 month project to analyse the barriers to installing and connecting solar photovoltaic power systems.

The Europe-wide ‘PV Legal’ project will examine the reasons why the installation of PV systems can take weeks, months, or even years, and will include an examination of the difficulties experienced in connecting to the grid.

The project will examine the administrative and regulatory market barriers for PV in order to establish a comprehensive database on the bureaucratic hurdles that need to be removed across Europe.

Once the database is established policy makers and grid operators in the main European PV markets will be invited to forums, conferences and workshops to discuss recommendations for breaking down the regulatory and administrative barriers.

The REA is leading the work for the UK, co-ordinating with 11 other European

countries including Italy, France, Spain and Poland.

According to the REA, a recent report estimates that PV has the potential to supply up to 12% of Europe's electricity by 2020. Solar PV currently supplies less than 1% of Europe's power, providing electricity for an estimated 1.5 million homes across the continent.

The REA states that the UK has been particularly poor on PV uptake with only a few thousand installations nationwide, a situation it hopes will change with the forthcoming feed-in tariffs, currently under consultation.

Source

Building Sustainable Design