The expansion of self-consumption in Spain surpassed all records last year. Only in 2022, as much photovoltaic self-consumption was installed in the country as in the previous history. Installations have been doubled and power has also been doubled due to the demand from both individuals and companies to install solar panels to reduce the cost of electricity and cover some of the electricity consumption with their own production. electricity bill.
Companies renewable According to data in their Annual Report, they have opened facilities with more than 2,500 megawatts (MW) of power across the country, more than doubling the previous year’s deployment and bringing the entire operational power in the country to almost 5,250 MW. Spanish Photovoltaic Association (UNEF).
“It was not an average year, it was a peak year. “It was extraordinary.”José Donoso, director general of the photovoltaic employers’ association, warns that he attributes last year’s rise to very high electricity prices, which reached historical highs, and million-dollar subsidies from European funds. But after last year’s lightning-fast growth, distribution is now starting to slow down.
While the photovoltaic employers’ association has warned of a “dramatic” decline in self-consumption installations in homes, installation in industries and workplaces is still continuing at a good pace. The reality is that, according to UNEF analysis, individuals have lost the perception that electricity prices are still high (they are well below the worst peak of the energy crisis, but also well above the historical average) and The idea spread that the aid provided by European funds did not reach the consumers.
Half a million requests
Renewable energy sector warns of major traffic jam in processing of multiple substances by autonomous communities 500,000 requests for aid, Failure to honor demands with some regional administrations, leading to long delays in the effective distribution of money. “There is a huge delay in the administration of subsidies. 2 years of delays are piling up Until we get to the applicants,” Donoso complains. “Citizens will eventually receive the aid, but delays mean subsidies have lost their capacity and role as a driving force to encourage self-consumption.”
The central government has approved various assistance programs to encourage self-consumption. 1,320 million euros from European funds An additional $200 million is included in the annex to the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR). “Many autonomous communities have not started paying. “What the customer is interested in is knowing when they’re going to get help, and the problem is there are two-year delays in getting help,” he says.
As a way to solve administrative collapse, UNEF proposes replacing subsidies with tax breaks that would speed up transactions by making them almost automatic, while also demanding that autonomous governments provide more resources to staff responsible for procedures. .
Record year for all photovoltaics
For the entire photovoltaic sector (not only self-consumption, but also surface power plants), 2022 was a historic year with record installation figures of 7,200 MW of new photovoltaic energy, thus shattering the previous year’s figures (about 4,600 MW). MW). , according to data from the annual report of the main employer associations in the sector.
Last year, the industry installed 4,701 MW of new photovoltaic energy in above-ground plants, a growth of almost 25% compared to the 3,500 MW installed in 2021, cementing last year as the best in the industry’s history. Over the course of this year, the sector has deployed around 2,300 MW of new energy by August, and UNEF points out that this figure could “easily” double by the end of the year.