Council of Ministers has again doubled the maximum distance allowed for self-consumption to 2,000 meters. As part of the third package of anti-inflationary measures announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the Ministry of Ecological Transition outlined this change. Until the end of summer, the permissible distance between photovoltaic plants and the consumers using them was 500 meters. In October, the government raised it to 1,000 meters, and this Tuesday it was increased again.
“The door to more shared self-consumption is opening.” The interaction between industrial zones and the city will enable those with poor roof angles to share with those who have ample roofs, according to the Director of Energy and Environment at El Prat de Llobregat City Council on Twitter. Joan Herrera is a leading advocate of the change. Another supporter, ERC deputy Joan Kapdevila, described the measure as a victory for democratizing energy and advancing sustainability.
Basic foods will be sold without VAT for six months, reduced to 5 percent on oil and pasta
This expansion of the radius for collective self-consumption to 2,000 meters applies to rooftop installations as before and also includes industrial floors or structures like photovoltaic pergolas whose main purpose is not to generate electricity. Capdevila notes that this expansion genuinely opens the door to urban self-consumption and that many towns can share across the municipality.
The greater the distance between production and use, the more consumers can benefit from this technology. The renewable sector, along with political parties aligned with ERC, supports extending collective self-consumption into urbanizations and industrial zones, allowing those without roof spaces to install solar panels at distances up to 2,000 meters.
Repsol escalates price war with Cepsa and BP and offers 10 cents discount until April
However, this measure has not always been welcomed by the government under Pedro Sánchez. Critics note that extending the distance could lead to losses in low voltage networks as the gap between production and consumption grows, impacting grid efficiency and energy losses.
These are all the measures announced by Pedro Sánchez
The government’s autumn mandate included extending the limit to 1,000 meters in the contingency plan, and weeks later Teresa Ribera, the third vice president and Minister of Ecological Transition, announced that the limit would be increased again to 2,000 meters. She stated that the government is responsive to new demands during debates in the House of Representatives.