Solar panels set to be mandatory on all new buildings under EU plan

[Ozero]

Not something I'm massively in know of, but I'm wondering if transferring the energy that has been collected in countries or areas which are more prone to sun, to places without that much sun could be an option. I'm assuming this would likely be quite expensive, and would likely mean losing some of that energy in the process, but I keep hearing that this is priority from the governments, so why haven't they kicked into gear?

I'm not an expert in this field but I think it is impossible and here is why:
- One big problem would be the distance. A country that has a lot of sunlight is far from another country with little sunlight.
- We know the problem when transmitting electricity is resistance and the solution to that is to increase the voltage significantly for long distances. They seem to be using 155,000 to 765,000 volts for a max 500 km distance.
- The solar panels don't seem to be able to provide any more than 0.5 volt per cell (panels have between 36 to 144 cells so 72 vols max per panel).

Everything new is always in doubt. However, one thing is clear: there is no alternative to the transition from fossil energy sources to green energy, and in this regard, not only solar panels, but also other sources such as wind turbines, geothermal stations and others should be considered. I am absolutely positive about the massive introduction of solar panels. Certainly, this must be done. Moreover, their energy efficiency is constantly being improved, and the cost is falling. Even before Russia's attack on Ukraine, European countries adopted a program to switch from fossil energy sources, which pollute the environment and, moreover, their reserves will soon be exhausted, to renewable energy sources. This war of conquest only naturally accelerates such a transition.

[DrBeer]

A very positive decision! Now it will be noticeably more difficult for some gentlemen from the EU to trade with conscience, because it is quite expected that the residential sector will stop consuming such quantities of gas from a terrorist country, and will stop from their own pocket, forced (to Gerhard Schroeder for this "gratitude") to sponsor world terrorism in the face of the Kremlin . In a word - bravo! Europe has finally begun to understand that being dependent on terrorists is bad, and being forced to sponsor terrorists is even worse!

[sovie]

A very positive decision! Now it will be noticeably more difficult for some gentlemen from the EU to trade with conscience, because it is quite expected that the residential sector will stop consuming such quantities of gas from a terrorist country, and will stop from their own pocket, forced (to Gerhard Schroeder for this "gratitude") to sponsor world terrorism in the face of the Kremlin . In a word - bravo! Europe has finally begun to understand that being dependent on terrorists is bad, and being forced to sponsor terrorists is even worse!

Solar panels are obviously very good solutions for the fuel and energy consumptions.
The winds mills too. Those countries which have found local solution have created a great solution for this and the coming generations.

[tadamichi]

Not something I'm massively in know of, but I'm wondering if transferring the energy that has been collected in countries or areas which are more prone to sun, to places without that much sun could be an option. I'm assuming this would likely be quite expensive, and would likely mean losing some of that energy in the process, but I keep hearing that this is priority from the governments, so why haven't they kicked into gear?

They’re actively researching on how to make solar-to-hydrogen production economically viable, which could be one way to do this.

[Sithara007]

EU continues to implement stupid rules, which will accelerate it's own economic decline. Solar panels are not suitable for each and every part of the European Union. Imagine installing solar panels in countries such as Iceland and Norway, where there is hardly any sunlight for 6 months of the year. If the EU want to produce more electricity from renewables, then they need to do it themselves rather than passing on the cost to the ordinary citizens. Already due to sky high taxes, cost of living in the EU zone is almost 100% higher when compared to the same in the US or Middle East.

[Naficopa]

EU continues to implement stupid rules, which will accelerate it's own economic decline. Solar panels are not suitable for each and every part of the European Union. Imagine installing solar panels in countries such as Iceland and Norway, where there is hardly any sunlight for 6 months of the year. If the EU want to produce more electricity from renewables, then they need to do it themselves rather than passing on the cost to the ordinary citizens. Already due to sky high taxes, cost of living in the EU zone is almost 100% higher when compared to the same in the US or Middle East.

Solar panels work best in countries like South Asia where producing electricity from oil is expensive and sun is available almost 12 months. I am seriously thinking of buying solar panels as my electricity bill is going high and also for 8 to 10 hours we don't have any electricity.

[DrBeer]

EU continues to implement stupid rules, which will accelerate it's own economic decline. Solar panels are not suitable for each and every part of the European Union. Imagine installing solar panels in countries such as Iceland and Norway, where there is hardly any sunlight for 6 months of the year. If the EU want to produce more electricity from renewables, then they need to do it themselves rather than passing on the cost to the ordinary citizens. Already due to sky high taxes, cost of living in the EU zone is almost 100% higher when compared to the same in the US or Middle East.

Let's talk about solar panels not from the point of view of the position "they are not effective", but from the point of view of objective reality?
So. A little information:
1. The most efficient environment for solar panels to work is cold weather with bright sunshine. Under such conditions, solar cells generate maximum energy!
2. A less efficient environment is bright sunshine and high ambient temperatures. More precisely, the higher the ambient temperature, the higher the losses of solar panels. It is a fact. In a hot environment, with bright sun, generation losses can reach 25%!
3. Without the sun, more precisely in a cloudy environment - solar panels work too! Only the efficiency is inversely proportional to cloud density. Those. if these are ordinary clouds - the efficiency will be quite high, at the level of 50-80%, if these are "heavy clouds" - the generation will drop to about 20-30% of the nominal value.
4. Still greatly affect the efficiency:
- type of batteries - monocrystalline or polycrystalline,
- the quality of the outer coating
- correct placement and positioning of the batteries (if we talk about mounting on the roof, without rotary systems)

I personally worked a lot with this product, developing the project of my country house (although not built yet). For neighbors who managed to build houses earlier, solar energy + storage system allows covering most of the household electricity needs. Yes, the initial investment is noticeable, but not "all the money in the world", especially since the project is absolutely recouped! The region is about 40 km from Kyiv. So I know not by hearsay, but from real miscalculations and experience in launching such systems with real people.

Norway. If you did not know, then I will inform you - about 96% of all electricity produced in Norway comes from hydroelectric power plants Therefore, solar panels in Norway are rather an auxiliary solution. I recommend to visit Norway and appreciate their environmental friendliness! No wonder they are one of the leaders in sales of electric vehicles, and will soon completely abandon passenger vehicles with internal combustion engines.

The cost of living in the EU is quite different from country to country. I also recommend driving and comparing these figures in the following countries - Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland and Norway of course You will be surprised how different the cost of living indicators are!

[tadamichi]

Imagine installing solar panels in countries such as Iceland and Norway, where there is hardly any sunlight for 6 months of the year.

But then they also have sunlight 24/7 for 6 months of the year, so in the end it comes down to storing solutions. Hydrogen could actually work and it can be exported too. And another point is, the amount of money politicians waste on useless things is insane and nothing compared to this. So id rather see investments to strengthen industries and higher demands with solutions like this. They would spend their budgets anyways on other things, if not this.

[sovie]

Imagine installing solar panels in countries such as Iceland and Norway, where there is hardly any sunlight for 6 months of the year.

But then they also have sunlight 24/7 for 6 months of the year, so in the end it comes down to storing solutions. Hydrogen could actually work and it can be exported too. And another point is, the amount of money politicians waste on useless things is insane and nothing compared to this. So id rather see investments to strengthen industries and higher demands with solutions like this. They would spend their budgets anyways on other things, if not this.

The need for the solar panels are mostly in the countries where there is a lot of power outage. These are not developed countries like iceland and Norway. People already have good standard of life and they do not worry about the basic necessities of life like we do in the underdeveloped countries. People of Iceland and Norway would not image how people in our country faces trouble.

[tadamichi]

The need for the solar panels are mostly in the countries where there is a lot of power outage. These are not developed countries like iceland and Norway. People already have good standard of life and they do not worry about the basic necessities of life like we do in the underdeveloped countries. People of Iceland and Norway would not image how people in our country faces trouble.

It’s not just about norway or iceland, in many european countries energy costs are exploding, so they need to do something. And sure underdeveloped countries need them more, but if the eu decides to not get them, doesn’t mean other more poor nations will, that’s not how economy works.

Underdeveloped countries will need cheaper solar panels, and that can be achieved with economies of scale. If you have many european nations working on this and ramping up their production, that also means underdeveloped countries will be able to afford more of them.

[romero121]

Each and every step taken forward by the European Union is the outcome of the unexpected shut down of oil supply. Already different European countries have made different plans to fulfill the power needs. Also European countries doesn't want to depend on Russia in any means. There used to be major power loss during the transmission and when solar panels were placed over every new building it'll be necessary for self need.

For countries like Norway and Iceland usage of solar energy generation will help at least for some time period during the specific season. During this time period India have profited big out of oil. Now Russia have announced the increase in oil price, and we don't know whether this will be for India.

[Ultegra134]

It's probably something Spain and Greece could do well having but I'm not sure if there's any other country that gets a good amount of sun.

If they tried making rooftop wind turbines that were quiet and stable enough, you'd be able to produce a lot of electricity from the UK, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Sweden (and probably most of the rest of Northern Europe).

The rise in fuel price is probably good in a way as it might make renewables seem a more attractive source (the EU already sources half of it's electricity from renewables). I think Denmark is able to source half of its electricity usage by wind too.

It'd probably also be useful to push efficiency, a modern mobile phone uses very little electricity when compared to other things (boiling a kettle uses about the same energy as giving a phone a day's charge).

It's something I was always shouting for, I live in Greece and it would be a great opportunity for homeowners to adopt such an innovation. Personally, at my parental home we have plenty of space in our rooftop, offering great sunlight coverage. If we had invested in something like this, our house could easily be self-sustained and not pay a single dime for electricity.

Solar panels are expensive, but in cases like mine, they'd pay off really quick, achieving ROI in just a few years.

[Sithara007]

It's something I was always shouting for, I live in Greece and it would be a great opportunity for homeowners to adopt such an innovation. Personally, at my parental home we have plenty of space in our rooftop, offering great sunlight coverage. If we had invested in something like this, our house could easily be self-sustained and not pay a single dime for electricity.

Solar panels are expensive, but in cases like mine, they'd pay off really quick, achieving ROI in just a few years.

Well... for countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy, solar panels should work, because there is bright sunshine almost 24x7. But the same can't be said about some of the Northern European countries. All I am saying is that the cost should not be imposed on the ordinary people. If someone want to install solar panels, then let him do that on a voluntary basis. If the EU wants to make it mandatory, then they can subsidize it. Asking the common people to pay the additional bill is not a very bright idea, when the inflation rate is in double digits. 

[AicecreaME]

It's a good initiative that more and more countries have been transitioning into energy efficient methods to conserve energy and electricity consumption. It's a nice move for Europe to impose this given that it will be beneficial in the long run. However, I think before they totally mandate very building to be installed with solar panels, they should first assess the capability of the owners to make it happen. Perhaps setting a considerable time frame would be nice so that they will not be shocked and be burdened with sudden expenses for installation of the panels.

Because as we all know, installing a solar power system could be expensive. While it is sustainable and cost efficient in the long run, they have to shed out a huge amount of money first. In addition, the return of investment will also not be instantly given. It will take years before they get their money's worth in solar panels. Hence, thinking about the financial matters should be in their list too.

Switching to eco-friendly methods such as retrofitting which they will require through solar panels will really be helpful in combatting energy efficiency gap and it will be healthier to the environment. It's just that there are other factors that should be considered too before they make it officially mandated.

[Mauser]

And another limitation from the European Union on all it's citizens, why can't we decide anymore for ourselves on what is good and what is bad? Do we really need to be fully controlled by politicans. I understand that we need to switch away from Russian gas and Solar energy is one way to be autonomous, but do we need solar panels on every house? The first issue is that we already have a lot of regulations on heat insulation for new buildings. The building cost for a new roof already increase 30% just by new insulation everybody has to use, then we can add another 30% due to inflation in the last years, and on top of that we now need solar panels. Like this it seems that cost of a new roof doubled in the last 5 years, which is insane. Also in the summer it's sunny and solar panels should be profitable, but during winter we see almost no sunlight. How will this be worth it to have solar panels then? I am not against green energy, but why does it have to be mandatory?

[bakasabo]

It's something I was always shouting for, I live in Greece and it would be a great opportunity for homeowners to adopt such an innovation. Personally, at my parental home we have plenty of space in our rooftop, offering great sunlight coverage. If we had invested in something like this, our house could easily be self-sustained and not pay a single dime for electricity.

Solar panels are expensive, but in cases like mine, they'd pay off really quick, achieving ROI in just a few years.

Dont forget, that solar panels dont accumulate electricity, you cant install a huge power bank at home. You cant rely on them for 100%. At night, you will still be have to use "regular" electricity. If you want to get maximum from solar panels electricity, you would have reschedule your daily routine, move things like laundry, ironing, or things were electricity is used on a day time. Some people can do that, some will have to "partly rest at a day" and "work at nights".

[Lucius]

EU continues to implement stupid rules, which will accelerate it's own economic decline.

If you only knew what stupid rules Euro bureaucrats are making up, you would surely remain in disbelief. Those farmers who receive financial support from the state will not receive it if they use hoes, they need to buy expensive machinery to produce environmentally friendly food

Insane measure introduced in Croatia: hoe is forbidden! He who digs with it and gets rid of weeds with the strength of his muscles is left without money. We were raised on the proverb: There is no bread without a hoe...

Source

Solar panels are not suitable for each and every part of the European Union. Imagine installing solar panels in countries such as Iceland and Norway, where there is hardly any sunlight for 6 months of the year.

Iceland and Norway are not part of the EU but part of something called the EEA (European Economic Area), so I don't think this law should apply to them. In addition, every law passed in the EU parliament needs to be approved by national parliaments, and some member states will certainly not accept this.

[Cryptock]

Dont forget, that solar panels dont accumulate electricity, you cant install a huge power bank at home. You cant rely on them for 100%. At night, you will still be have to use "regular" electricity. If you want to get maximum from solar panels electricity, you would have reschedule your daily routine, move things like laundry, ironing, or things were electricity is used on a day time. Some people can do that, some will have to "partly rest at a day" and "work at nights".

That is correct. I am sure people who have solar panels installed would be doing the same. Now because in my country electricity crisis is a real trouble.
We are now seriously thinking to install solar panel at home because there is no solution to it.

[kryptqnick]

I think that limiting reliance on fossil fuels (Russian ones but also other ones) is very important to ensure that we're taking climate change seriously. While it can cost some money and probably a recession now, it will pay off in the long run because the effects of climate change can be very devastating not only for human life conditions in many places, but also to the global economy. Solar energy is clean, and relying more heavily on it is a good proposal. But it's also unstable (because it relies on sunny days, basically, and that can wary both within the country and between countries), so something else to back it up is also necessary.

[YinShuiSiYuan]

1. The most efficient environment for solar panels to work is cold weather with bright sunshine. Under such conditions, solar cells generate maximum energy!

I was thinking of installing solar panel in my house because electricity is too expensive now and we don't get electricity for 24 hours. I live in country where 7 to 8 months we have sunny season and summers are too hot. But your posts just shocked me that panels are best for warm regions not for hot. Can you explain with some references?