On May 18, 2022, the European Commission (DG ENER) published the report titled “Technical support for RES policy development and implementation – Simplification of permission and administrative procedures for RES installations (RES Simplify),” prepared by the international consulting firm eclareon GmbH in collaboration with the Öko-Institut e.V. and two European associations for renewable energy – WindEurope and SolarPower Europe.

The aim of the report is to provide insight into the key obstacles that hinder the proliferation of renewable energy utilization technologies in approval and grid connection procedures. Furthermore, it discusses best practice examples from EU member states, as well as Iceland and Norway, and provides general best practice recommendations that can be promoted regarding the approval of renewable energy installations and their connection to the grid. Finally, it outlines how member states can establish optimized processes and supportive IT infrastructure that align with the relevant requirements of the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). In addition to the main report, the consortium has produced 29 comprehensive national reports describing approval procedures and associated obstacles and best practices at the national level.

Currently, the consortium is disseminating and promoting the identified best practices with policymakers and regulatory authorities, renewable energy associations, and representatives of the private sector to gather ideas and proposals for further improving approval procedures in EU countries. Feedback from these discussions will contribute to EU-level policy recommendations aimed at further optimizing approval procedures for renewable energy projects, thereby contributing to the achievement of ambitious renewable energy goals at both the member state and EU levels by 2030 and beyond.

You can find the main report for RES Simplify here.

The national reports can be found here.