1. Why is this workstream important?

This is a pivotal time for the energy transition. Rising land prices are a disincentive to develop ground mounted solar projects, so deploying solar on roofs is key to unlock the full market depth. Companies active in the onsite solar and storage sectors are under great pressure to provide cost-effective solutions that are adapted to a heterogeneous building stock. 

The Fit for 55, and in particular the amendment of the Renewable Energy Directive and the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, will create significant opportunities for our sector. Through regular meetings, members of the Buildings & Prosumers workstream collaborate to ensure EU law mainstreams the uptake of solar in all buildings. We deliberate collectively, through listening and debate, on the potential drawbacks and limitations of a text and provide feedback to legislators to create a thriving on-site solar sector in the EU. This workstream is a real vector for the exchange of ideas. It helps to structure and clarify them and to make lobbying work more efficient and transparent.  

2. Why should companies join this workstream?

The Buildings & Prosumers workstream is built and guided by moderators who focus on information related to our theme and make some of the more technical topics more understandable. Thus, it represents a significant timesaver for the companies. Small businesses can benefit the most from participating in the workstream as it will save them time to be updated on EU legislation. The latter are often considered as a burden when they can reveal and unlock unexpected opportunities.  

More generally, it is more interesting to find a compromise between companies from the same field rather than always trying to defend one’s own interest when the core values of those companies serve the same objective: resilience and environmental responsibility.  

3.  What are the main opportunities of Buildings & Prosumers?

The Renovation Wave and stricter energy performance standards are driving the deployment of solar panel installations are in full swing. Through the Buildings & Prosumers workstream we structure our sector’s feedback, giving it additional weight to our ideas, to ensure policies can fully unlock the potential for solar on buildings. However small you may be, your convictions can be taken to the European level. In addition to this, the workstream is a vector for the construction of a great network on a European scale that could permit a potential collaboration in some specific big projects.