There could well be more than enough rooftops in Malta to produce energy from the sun using photovoltaic (PV) panels. Does this mean we can get by without a solar farm taking up even more precious space on our crowded island?

This and several other pressing questions were raised at a debate on renewable energy sources in the Maltese landscape held last month.

Organised by SBE Malta, a group promoting sustainable development in the built environment, the debate also brought up the point of aesthetics and the effect that a larger input from renewable sources may have on the electrical grid.

PV panels now head the list of renewables we must tap so that EU targets are met. Now that the Sikka il-Bajda offshore wind farm proposal has been turned down wind as a resource has been sidelined on the whole, with only two smaller applications for wind farms still pending at the planning authority.

Together with renewables comes the need for storing energy that is generated. Up until now, households generating solar power on their rooftops have had to sell to the grid the energy that has not been immediately consumed.

Storage technology has developed dramatically over the past 10 years. American firm Tesla Motors has adapted its lithium-ion battery, originally developed for electric cars, for home energy storage.

With the special battery, expected to come into production this year, households and businesses will be able to store the extra power themselves and use it when needed later. As the price of lithium has fallen, self-powered homes could be a less expensive option than being grid-tied. The batteries are lighter than previous battery technology and hold a charge longer.

Commenting on the bureaucracy at local level, Eco-Group director Louis Borg remarked that to encourage better uptake, the process of connecting PV panels to Maltese homes should be made “as simple as plugging in a television set”.

Building Industry Consultative Council chairman Charles Buhagiar noted that people must be kept informed of what is available on the market if we are to have sustainable buildings in terms of energy.

He gave a preview of an upcoming helpline for green building technology, offering non-technical advice for home owners investing in energy-saving measures.

The ecobuild online tool, aimed at professionals, building developers and consumers, provides guidance for the adoption of renewable energy systems. Technical comparsions will be given between different products on the market, with a list of PV panel suppliers available in Malta. The ecobuild website is expected to be up and running by June.

Concluding his presentation, Buhagiar pointed out that it was no use having green technology unless there were people with the right skills to implement it.

Covering roughly a quarter of the total built-up area in Malta (90 square kilometres) with PV panels would generate more than enough of all our energy needs.

“There is no problem of space if we do it right,” insisted Joseph Cilia from the University of Malta’s Department of Industrial Electrical Power Conversion. He cautioned against dumping energy into the grid in relation to stability and storage issues.

A good starting point is to reduce the amount of energy a building requires, then renewable energy can do the rest. Joseph Galea from the University’s Faculty for the Built Environment touched on how it could be done by looking at building mass, ventilation and protecting exposed surfaces.

Solar panels can make a positive contribution aesthetically if they are integrated into a building. Engaging an architect is the best option so that care is taken over weight-bearing, the shading effect of panels on a building’s energy footprint and other variables.

A large piece of the puzzle is still missing – a comprehensively updated renewable energy plan

Sandro Lauri of the Energy Ministry’s sustainable energy and water conservation unit spoke on what the country is doing to meet its energy targets, with PV making up nearly half the target. Biofuels, heat pumps, solar water heaters, waste incineration and biomass are tipped to make up the rest.

Core objectives of the target as set down by the EU are competitiveness, affordability, security of supply and sustainability. Rather than zeroing in on the price of a watt, final system costs stand to be considered wherever taxpayers are shoring up the feed-in tariff, or a portion of it.

We cannot afford to stall on renewable energy. Further domestic support schemes, and new schemes for medium and large scale generation of energy from the sun, are being developed.

A funding gap ensued when the operational programme closed in 2013, and the ministry is now waiting for funding from the European Regional Development Fund to continue. It has become increasingly difficult to argue Malta’s case as the European Commission has been operating for some time on the premise that renewables pay their way and do not need support.

Speaking on the solar farm policy, Lauri noted that rooftop PV installations were still the priority and these should be integrated to blend in better with the built environment. The unit is working on legal and technical solutions to help Malta achieve its renewable energy targets.

Quarries, car parks and petrol stations top the list of possibilities for solar farm locations, although a total area just under three square kilometres would have to be considered.

Policy officer at Mepa Joseph Scalpello gave more details on sites being considered by the planning authority for farming solar energy in areas over 1,000km2. Apart from some large rooftops, possibilities included 30 quarries, a Mellieħa reservoir, an air hangar and the marshalling area at Ċirkewwa.

The height of PV panels compared to surrounding terrain will have to be addressed, and how to decommission them at their end-of-life phase must also be taken into account.

The directive on waste electric and electrical equipment (WEEE) has not yet been fully implemented in Malta but discussions are ongoing with the Malta Chamber of SMEs (GRTU) to bring it into force.

Producers or importers will ultimately be responsible for removing, disposing and partly recycling their decommissioned panels by hiring someone to do the job on their behalf.

According to feedback from the floor, a solar farm policy should go beyond being a land regulating policy and regulate the wider industry, in which investors must be protected. It should lay out the obligations of supplier, operator and utility company in a relationship that can prove to be quite complex.

Although much more needs to be done to encourage energy saving on the demand (consumer) side, an energy efficiency action plan submitted to the Commission last year did include an end user efficiency target. A large piece of the puzzle is still missing – a comprehensively updated renewable energy plan.

The debate was co-organised with the Malta Group of Professional Engineering Institutions and sponsored by AQS solar energy service. SBE 2016 an exhibition and inter­national conference on green building to be organised next year.

www.ecogroup-mt.com/coolingbysolar.htm