Vladislav Panev, a member of Bulgarian National assembly, reported that the Bulgarian Parliament finally dropped the construction permit and other procedures for installing photovoltaics on roofs of houses with a power of up to 20 kilowatts. In the original version, the offer was for up to 10.8 kilos.
He stated that This is a reform he and his colleagues from Democratic Bulgaria have been fighting for since the last Parliament.
Panev highlights that the cost of solar energy has fallen to a record low in recent years. However, due to complex procedures, mainly large investors benefit from this; the system still needs to be fully developed, and only some Bulgarian residents can afford it.
Member of the National assembly also claims that, unlike other countries, the situation is reversed in Bulgaria; almost all power is in the field, not on the roofs.
After the declaration of the construction permit and other procedures for installing photovoltaics on roofs, Panev said, “It is great that the decision today was supported by almost all MPs. I said from the grandstand that this was among this Parliament’s most important and positive measures. I hope not the last one”.
Bulgaria started concerning solar energy in 2007, and now the Balkan country is just above the EU average regarding the share of renewable energy in its gross final energy consumption, 23.3%, compared to the EU average of 22.1%.
As a renewable energy source, Bulgaria receives daylight for 3000 hours a year. Solar energy installation began in 2009 and reached 100 Megawatts (MW) in 2011.
According to data from Bulgaria’s National Statistical Institute, there has been a considerable change in the energy composition obtained from renewable electricity generation between 2007 and 2017.
The two technologies with the largest growth rates were solar photovoltaic (PV) technology at 5.3 times and wind at 1.7 times, respectively, between 2009 and 2013.