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PV Legal releases recommendations for bureaucratic reduction

PV Legal's guidelines for the reduction of bureaucratic barriers and administrative costs in terms of photovoltaic deployment have been released at the 26th EU PVSEC conference, currently underway in Hamburg, Germany.

The PV Legal recommendations were discussed at the 26th EU PVSEC. Image: WIP - Renewable Energies.

The recommendations are broken down into two main categories: grid capacity issues and grid connection procedures.

Amongst them, the PV Legal project includes greater independence and transparency for the bodies evaluating grid capacities; no generic limits to be placed on the level of photovoltaic input into various grids; legal provisions for the extension of grids; deadlines for grid extension; and measures to prevent licence speculation in the case of limited grid capacity.

The procedure recommendations include calls for the prioritization of renewable grid connectivity; streamlined connection procedures with defined deadlines; defined penalties for missing such deadlines; clear and appropriate connectivity costs; and the implementation of grid connection training schemes.

At the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) Industry Area where the recommendations were presented, the association brought together partners and participants in the PV Legal consultation process to discuss the recommendations resultant from the project.

In particular, Stelios Psomas from the Greek photovoltaic association spoke of the successes achieved there, while Lucia Dolera outlined the many bureaucratic problems facing Spain.

"Administration barriers and costly," summed up EPIA National Policy Advisor Marie Latour to pv magazine. "If countries are looking at lowering the cost of feed-in tariffs (FITs), they need to reduce administrative barriers first!"

Latour points to the difference between installation costs in Germany and France in indication of the impact administrative costs can have on overall costs of photovoltaic installation.

The results of the PV Legal industry consultation, from which the recommendations are a result, were published in the August edition of pv magazine.