A common criticism of installing PV systems, large and small in Greece has been the bureaucratic red tape that had cased many projects to be delayed by several years, limiting the appeal of the country’s FiT and resulting in a standstill for most projects. According to BSW-Solar and PV LEGAL, concerted efforts to unwind the red tape, have had some significant success recently.
The trade association said that PV power plant developers no longer need to obtain a ‘production’ licence before starting a project, which could take 2-years due to the previous bureaucratic barriers rather projects could now be started immediately
“This administrative requirement had in the past led to a standstill in the Greek PV market,” noted Jörg Mayer director of the BSW-Solar. “Plant engineers no longer [have to] wait up to two years for a license in order to start building, but can start right away.”
In Slovenian the local solar trade association in cooperation with the government have eliminated the need for a building permit for smaller plants, according to PV LEGAL. A new legally binding permit freedom agreement has been agreed.
In Portugal it was noted that the approval process for solar power systems on electronic submission has been changed to an online system, reducing complexity and speed of acceptance. “The process is faster, more transparent and cost-efficient,” added Mayer.