Spain is fully committed to solar panels
Nowhere in Europe does the sun shine as much as in Spain. The country was once one of the forerunners of solar energy. Until the government and the influential lobbyists felt that traditional energy companies were being disadvantaged, abolished all subsidies and started levying ‘solar tax’.
With the sun, in combination with the wind, Spain can perfectly meet its own energy needs. Compared to Northern Europe, the efficiency of solar panels in Spain is many times higher.
While between 2012 and 2015 solar panels were installed en masse all over Europe, on the other hand, proportionally less than half of solar energy capacity was added in Spain. And certainly not because the market was saturated or there would be no space in the large and relatively sparsely populated country. The government simply didn’t want to hear about it.
The subsidies were abolished and an expensive solar tax was introduced, which meant that solar panels for private individuals were no longer profitable.
The lobby was powerful: some twenty former ministers and former senior officials worked for energy giants such as Repsol, Iberdrola, Endesa and Gas Natural, which trade in fossil fuels.
The turning point came in October 2018, albeit under pressure from the European community and global climate agreements. The Spanish government again recognized the right to private individuals multiple users (such as in an apartment complex) to generate electricity themselves via solar panels and this without any form of penalty, solar tax in this case.
If a consumer of solar panels generates and consumes electricity at the same time, this is no longer registered by the electricity meter.
Today, April 2022, the Spanish authorities even pay out a subsidy for 50% of the investment made in solar panels.
You must remain connected to the electricity grid, but you can save 70% on your monthly bill.
A word of explanation in practice: In 2018, the current government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez immediately ended the so-called solar tax and bureaucratic obstructions with regard to solar panels for own use by means of a Royal Decree. This means that the infamous “impuesto al sol” has come to an end. An incentive to let the Spaniards switch to their own solar panels.
According to Elon Musk, owner of Tesla and Space X and also producer of solar panels, Spain can eventually provide all of Europe with solar energy.
Tuesday 5/4/2022 another statement from Musk became a trending topic when he provided Spain with advice, whether solicited or not. Elon Musk believes that Spain should invest even more in solar energy and that the country has the potential to provide all of Europe with energy. Musk’s statement even affected the stock market: Right after his tweet, renewable energy companies were among the biggest climbers on the Spanish stock market.
The Spanish Prime Minister has invited Elon Musk to come and talk about this. Musk made this statement via a simple message on Twitter. Pedro Sánchez then responded to his message. Sánchez wrote that Spain has been working on an ambitious plan in the field of renewable energy for some time and invited him to experience for himself how far Spain has already come, writing that “investors are very welcome in Spain”.
The moment that Elon Musk decided to put this statement on Twitter does not seem entirely coincidental. European government leaders are currently sitting together to consider alternative energy options to reduce dependence on Russian gas.
Prime Minister Sánchez is a strong supporter of clean energy and announced last December that he wanted to invest 16 billion euros in the transition to sustainable energy by 2026. The Spanish sun-drenched Costas produce the cheapest alternative energy in all of Europe.
Conclusion:
It is therefore a fact that the Spanish government has fully recognized the opportunity of solar energy and will fully utilize this asset, the reverse would have been very incomprehensible. Of course, the rising energy prices on the world market will also have something to do with this, as will the ecological problem of global warming.