On a bright sunny day (21 Feb. 2018), the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee voted on the Electricity Market Regulation and Electricity Market Directive.
SolarPower Europe is glad to inform you that the provisions adopted today sets the right path towards an EU clean energy future, based on flexible and open markets supporting more solar and renewable deployment
The Parliament reports are a substantial improvement of the Commission’s proposals, and takes onboard SolarPower Europe’s key proposals:
- More opened electricity markets allowing solar producers and flexibility providers to participate on an equal footing with conventional players
- Priority dispatch maintained for existing solar installations, as well as for future small-scale renewable installations (under 500kW, and 250 kW after 2026)
- Robust protection against solar power curtailment
- Sharp requirements restricting the use of capacity remuneration mechanisms (CRMs), in line with EU’s climate objectives
- Stronger principles ensuring fair and non-discriminatory treatment of solar prosumers
- Simplified and streamlined authorization procedures for small-scale solar installations
- The removal of obstacles to the development of power purchase agreements in Europe
- Consistent signals for system operators to integrate more solar energy, through digital solutions and procurement of flexibility services
- Specific requirements unlocking the development of storage as a major flexibility provider
Please find here a more detailed summary of the vote results.
Next steps:
The ITRE Committee has also approved MEP Krisjanis Karins’s mandate to start negotiating with the Council on both the Directive and Regulation. Inter-institutional negotiations (trilogues) will therefore start in the following weeks and be concluded in the second half of 2018, under the mandate of the Austrian presidency of the EU Council.
