Following Russia's war in Ukraine, the European Union's executive arm is formulating a strategy to more than double the rate at which solar panels are installed across the EU as part of a plan to quickly wean itself off fossil fuels.

The EU wants to install more than 300 gigawatts of photovoltaics by the middle of this decade, more than twice the amount projected in 2020 and more than 500 gigawatts by 2030.

The proposal calls for a "rapid, huge deployment" of solar panels on rooftops, beginning with the buildings that use the most energy, and will be published alongside new legislation to speed up permitting.

Scaling up renewables will be a fundamental component of the EU's strategy to slash Russian gas imports by nearly two-thirds this year and its broader goal of reaching carbon neutrality by the middle of the century.

President Vladimir Putin's war has made the energy crisis worse, driving up the price of electricity and gas to all-time highs and putting the issue at the centre of political debate in Europe.

Michael Bloss, a German member of the EU Parliament in the Green group, said:

"Europe’s solar industry is de facto at rock bottom at a time when we are filling Putin’s war chests, and citizens have to spend a lot of money on electricity. Europe’s citizens can no longer afford the high prices.”

On May 18, the Commission will vote on the package. A biomethane roadmap, a plan to expand hydrogen production and imports, and a framework for EU foreign energy participation will also be included.

It is likely to disappoint the five-member states who called on commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen last week to provide a 1,000-gigawatt goal by 2030, nearly equal to the world's current solar capacity.

By the end of the year, the EU hopes to have taken steps to ensure that permits are issued in less than three months, and that solar installation is made mandatory for all new buildings and renovations.

The Commission anticipates that after the first year of execution, the programme will add 17 terawatt-hours of electricity. By 2025, that figure will have risen to 42 terawatt-hours, more than a third higher than the EU's climate legislation, which was launched last year.

According to the policy, member states should designate "go-to locations" for renewable energy projects to speed up the approval process. The Commission will also come up with guidelines to encourage the development of new solar energy technologies, such as floating photovoltaics for the sea or big lakes.

Source: Bloomberg