Solar PV Could Be Standard in New European Buildings by 2020

clipped from www.renewableenergyworld.com The European Union Energy Council this week reached an agreement on the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). Under the agreement any new European building will have to be close to energy neutral by 2020, meaning that a very large share of energy consumption in new buildings will be provided by renewable energy. Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems as well as solar thermal technologies are among the best suited to be integrated in buildings. However no target has been set for existing buildings which currently represent about 99% of the building stock. The hope is that the EPBD will ensure a strong boost for on-site renewable energy sources (RES) like PV, which as a decentralized and sustainable energy technology is easy and quick to install in housing and has the ability to provide a significant share of the household and commercial energy demand. In the original draft of the EPBD, there was a cap on building size of 1000m².