Legislation to foment the use of renewable energies and solar thermal energy in building construction: The case of Spain - Solar Energy Sciences and Engineering Applications - page 662

In contrast, photovoltaic solar energy accounts for 38.02% and thermal solar energy
for 0.78% (Deloitte, 2011).
In 2010, the area in Spain covered by thermal solar panels was approximately
2,400,000 m 2 (see Figure 20.7.1). If Spain meets the targets in the PANER, the energy
generated in the solar thermal sector for heating and cooling will predictably rise from
61 ktoe in 2005 to 644 ktoe in 2020 (M&I, 2010).
The development of legislation and especially the requirement in the Spanish Tech-
nical Building Code 28 , enacted in 2006, has made thermal solar technology an integral
part of the majority of buildings currently under construction. Although in 2005, less
than 10% of the buildings had this technology, in 2010, the percentage of buildings
with thermal solar systems soared to almost 80% (see Graph 20.7.2). In 2007 and
2008, the expectations of future growth in this sector were extremely positive despite
the drop in the construction of new residential buildings (see Graph 20.7.1). Thermal
solar energy has thus become a viable energy alternative in the residential building
sector.

20.8 CONCLUSIONS

In recent years, the European Union has made a significant effort to develop a regula-
tory framework to enhance the energy performance of buildings and to foment the use
of renewable energies to increase energy efficiency. The goal is to reduce both energy
consumption and energy dependence in the EU by regulating a sector responsible for
40% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Since energy consumption related to thermal processes in buildings accounts for
69% of the total energy consumption, this means that the use of thermal solar energy in
building construction has become a priority for the achievement of energy performance
objectives. To implement this technology in building construction and/or renovation
in the EU, the following measures have been approved.

a) Development of a legislative framework in the EU:

- Directive 2002/91/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of
16 December 2002 on the energy performance of buildings . This directive
states that buyers or tenants of buildings should be provided with an energy
performance certificate. The rationale behind these certificates is to thus
obtain buildings with a high energy performance by improving their thermal
properties and fomenting the investment in energy-saving systems.
- Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23
April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.
This directive specifies a common framework for all EU countries with a view
to fostering the use of energy from renewable sources.
- Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings . The objectives
of this directive include increasing “the number of buildings which not only

28 According to Article 1.5 of this building code, part of the energy should come from thermal
solar energy in all new and renovated buildings in which there is a supply of domestic hot water.