
Solar ordinances or obligations are legal provisions requiring building owners to install a solar (thermal) system, applied mainly to new buildings or to buildings undergoing major renovation.
In most cases, they fall under national or regional energy laws and are often implemented through local building codes at the municipal level.
ANME, under the European cooperation project, MED DESIRE, has begun preparations for the introduction of this new concept of solar obligation "solar ordinance" at the level of buildings in a pilot municipal area, eligible to the ENPI CBC MED program, Hammam Sousse (collective buildings) in view of the significant potential of new residential, tourist and residential buildings in the region and the willingness expressed by the municipality's special delegation to join in this process.
In accordance with the recommendations of the national conference held in Hammam Sousse on 22 April 2015 on the opportunities for the development of solar thermal and photovoltaic energy in municipal areas, activities were carried out:
- A capacity building action on solar ordinances organized on 20 and 21 October 2015 in Hammam Sousse,
- The recruitment of a specialized legal expert to assist the municipality in setting up a solar obligation in the legal texts in force (code of buildings, etc.)
- The signing, on 30 December 2015, of a partnership agreement between the special delegation of Hammam Sousse commune and the ANME in the field of energy management
A second phase of setting up the solar thermal obligation requires technical and legal support in:
- Writing a Solar Order and Procedures
- The development of supporting documents
- Accompanying authorities and organizations involved
- Assessing the national potential of solar prescriptions
- Awareness-raising and capacity-building
The last phase will be a monitoring and evaluation phase of regional and national impact in terms of energy saving, regional development, job creation and CO2 avoided, and generalization at the national level, in accordance with an elaborated roadmap.