The European Union should set an ambitious goal for boosting solar energy capacity across the region as it seeks to free itself from a dependency on Russian gas, according to five member states. The bloc should have at least 1,000 gigawatts of photovoltaics installed in the region by 2030 — equivalent to roughly the world’s current capacity — according to a joint letter signed by Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Spain to the bloc’s climate chief Frans Timmermans and Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson. The EU can deploy at least 70 million solar rooftops by the end of the decade it said. “Solar rooftops should be the norm for newly built houses and for houses going through a major renovation,” said the letter dated Wednesday, signed by the countries’ energy ministers and seen by Bloomberg. “Every photovoltaic panel reduces immediately and directly our energy dependence from Russia.” It comes just […]