Peculiarities of administrative supervision and control in the field of solar energy by local governments

The article is aimed at studying the peculiarities of administrative supervision and control in the field of solar energy by local self-government bodies. The author considers theoretical developments of domestic scholars on this topic, namely, the concepts of supervision and control. It is established that ‘supervision’ and ‘control’ are not identical in nature, since they have a number of differences. Thus, supervision and control differ in terms of their purpose, method of implementation and scope. The author formulates that supervision in the field of solar energy means the activities of authorised bodies in the field of solar energy that monitor individuals and legal entities that use and consume solar energy for their own needs. Instead, control in the field of solar energy is the activity of authorised bodies aimed at verifying compliance of the activities of entities in the field of alternative energy with the established norms, rules and standards in order to ensure the proper performance of tasks and functions. It is emphasised that despite the significant role of state bodies in the mechanism of supervision and control in the field of solar energy, local self-government bodies perform certain functions. The Law of Ukraine ‘On Alternative Energy Sources’ has shortcomings related to the lack of mention of local governments and their role in the field of renewable energy. Despite the imperfection of the main law in this area, other regulatory acts disclose the competence of local governments in legal relations related to the use of alternative energy sources. Also, the imperfection of the current legislation does not affect the role of local governments, as they are the ones who actually implement the adopted legislative initiatives and regulations in the field of solar energy. The author concludes that renewable energy, especially solar energy, is gaining momentum in Ukraine, with more than 55,000 households already equipped with solar power plants. However, the rapid development of the industry is forcing the legislator to work hard to develop a regulatory framework and a supervisory mechanism. The latter, in our opinion, has many shortcomings that should be the subject of future research in the future.