Solar panel installation guidelines are being revised by the planning authority to tone down the visual impact that the large, dark panes are having on the skyline.
The authorities allowed it to get to this situation and now they can’t go back
Government financial schemes have led to the mushrooming of solar panels, for which no permits are required by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, and the regulator’s guidelines have not always been respected.
Now, almost 6,000 installations later, Mepa is revisiting the situation.
“Given the significant increase in the installation of PVs and solar water heaters on rooftops, Mepa has recently embarked on an exercise to evaluate, and, if necessary, introduce new guidelines that will try to find the best balance between encouraging domestic renewable energy infrastructure and effective visual mitigation measures,” a spokesman said.
Vince Cassar, president of the Chamber of Architects, said that the trend towards installing PV panels was positive as it showed a shift towards a greener mentality.
“However, they are definitely affecting the skyline. The problem is that the majority went ahead without requiring a planning permit,” he said.
Through the EU-funded scheme, in past years applicants who bought solar panels and solar water heaters could get back up to 50 per cent of their costs.
A Resources Ministry spokesman said 5,800 PV panels and 7,300 solar water heaters were installed.
Applicants did not need a Mepa permit to install PV panels on their roofs, only the approval of Enemalta Corporation and the Malta Resources Authority.
A Mepa spokesman said property owners installing panels had to abide by guidelines issued in 2007 about mounting solar energy facilities on rooftops.
These, the environment watchdog noted, would encourage this form of renewable energy “provided that they would not have a significant visual impact”.
But a few years on, the impact is very visible, as some lay low but others jut out by half a storey.
The director at a reputed renewable energy company, who preferred not to be named, said his firm told clients about the Mepa guidelines, which included a maximum height of 1.5 metres.
When the client wanted to go higher, panels were still installed according to the client’s request.
“Our company points out the relevant Mepa guidelines but, at the end of the day, the roof belongs to the client,” he said, highlighting a responsibility gap the authorities had evidently failed to close.
Installation companies are not held responsible for breaching the guidelines.
Another problem, the director said, was some suppliers tried to sell as many panels as possible, taking advantage of this gap.
“The authorities allowed it to get to this situation and now they can’t go back.”
Astrid Vella, from the environmental organisation Flimkien Għal Ambjent Aħjar, said: “At this stage (the panels) are a necessary evil but a solution should be found.
“It’s in everyone’s interest for the government to give some form of training to installers.”
She expressed concern that badly installed panels did not operate to their maximum potential, which was detrimental to homeowners and the government.