BY UE STUDIO
Updated Monday,27March2023-16:23
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Spain seems to have definitively set course towards photovoltaic self-consumption in homes. It is a trend that began in 2018 with the elimination of the so-called sun tax, but last year all the necessary conditions were met to cause a real boom in the installation of solar panels in countless buildings, urbanizations and single-family homes.
According to figures from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union, in 2022 20,500 installations of this type were made for residential use, which contributed 32% of the total new installed power throughout the year (2,507 MW), a figure that was 108% higher than that registered in 2021.
The truth is that the conditions that have caused this phenomenon continue to occur in 2023, so experts predict that in the coming months solar panels will flourish massively again on the roofs and roofs of our country to the point of doubling last year's figures.
Conditions such as the increase in energy prices, which makes self-consumption a refuge and a way to save money. Or the need felt by users to guarantee a certain energy autonomy in circumstances such as the invasion of Ukraine. Or a growing ecological awareness in a large part of the population, which leads them to bet on renewable energies.
Another important factor is what is often referred to as the demonstration effect. Those hundreds of thousands of families that already have photovoltaic panels serve as an example to follow for the laggards, who act as authentic prescribers in relation to the advantages and savings of betting on self-consumption.
GRANTS AND SUBSIDIES TO PLACE SOLAR PANELS
But, above all, the interest in the latter on the part of individuals and neighborhood communities has to do with the opportunity to benefit from important public subsidies. Mainly those approved by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, which in June 2021 approved a package of 660 million euros to encourage the installation of self-consumption and storage systems with renewables. A year later, the Government expanded that figure with another 505 million, which are those that will be distributed, until December 31, 2023, among those who incorporate solar panels, wind turbines or systems for energy storage or to air condition with renewables in their buildings.
Although with differences between communities, in the case of solar self-consumption the aid is up to 40% for individuals and up to 50% for collective self-consumption installations.
To these subsidized amounts must be added the bonuses that can be obtained locally after the installation of the panels. For example, on the Property Tax (IBI), which reaches 50% for ten years in cases such as the Valencian Community. Or the Tax on Constructions, Installations and Works (ICIO), which is paid when carrying out any reform and that in communities such as the Balearic Islands, Andalusia, Catalonia, Galicia or Madrid is subsidized at 95% for installation works of solar panels.
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The enormous availability of grants and subsidies, the fact that the initial return on investment periods are lower and the situation of energy prices make the current moment perfect for the installation of solar panels in communities of owners, single-family homes and urban roofs ", say sources from Iberdrola, the company that leads the photovoltaic self-consumption market, managing 40% of customers in this modality and is the leader in the sector, among other reasons, because in 2015 Iberdrola was the first company that began to bet on this type of solutions, both to large industrial customers and for individuals.
In the opinion of its experts, the most outstanding advantages obtained by consumers who bet on photovoltaic self-consumption make up a very long list. Among them, "obtaining significant savings in the electricity bill, the guarantee of a certain energy autonomy that allows to avoid price fluctuations, the revaluation of the house thanks to the improvement in its efficiency levels" and, of course, the tranquility of supplying your home with clean energy, with what this implies for the reduction of the carbon footprint of human activity.
How to install photovoltaic solar panels for self-consumption
There are so many incentives to bet at this time to install solar panels for photovoltaic self-consumption, that more and more individuals and neighborhood communities are considering it for the coming months and who are currently looking for answers to the endless doubts that may arise: how much does the installation cost, where the panels are placed, what savings can be generated in the electricity bill, what happens to the energy generated by those plates and that it remains unused...
Solar panels on roofs: rental income
Whether you are a company or a community of owners and you have a cover available to install solar panels but you do not want to make an investment or installation, but you do want to contribute to generating renewable energy, Iberdrola offers a novel solution known as Solar Community. Iberdrola offers the owners of the roofs the possibility of obtaining income from the rental of their spaces that they have free for the placement of solar panels, an option that implies great advantages beyond the recurring income obtained by the owners of these surfaces for the lease.
To begin with, because it will allow them to have a solar installation for self-consumption in their own building without having to make any outlay for their installation, but also because they may be entitled to preferential conditions in the use of clean energy generated by those solar panels through the Smart Solar Community. And, of course, for the reputational advantages of contributing to generate 100% green energy for the community and reduce its carbon footprint, impacting on an improvement of the brand image of the owner of the roof.
Additionally, these panels can supply clean energy to anyone who lives at a maximum distance of 2 kilometers. Those interested can calculate the economic, environmental savings and join a Solar Community through https://www.iberdrola.es/smart-solar/comunidades-solares
Clean energy, but also cheap, since it is estimated that it saves up to 40% in the energy consumed. All this thanks to this new model, based on energy, collaborative and local self-consumption.
"Iberdrola's solar communities make the sun available to everyone, whether or not you have covered and are interested in making an investment in a simple and digital way," underline the company's aforementioned sources. "In this way, it is already possible that 65% of the population that lives in height has access to self-consumption and can change the way they supply," they add. And the truth is that more than two thirds of the Spanish population live at altitude, so it is a model that could cause a very positive impact on the environment without the need for installation or investment in housing.
Communities of owners and single-family: savings in the electricity bill
It is also an option full of advantages for communities of owners, who can benefit from great savings in the electricity bill both for the common areas of the building or urbanization and / or for each neighbor.
Likewise, solar self-consumption is loaded with advantages for the owners of a single-family house, where savings in the electricity bill can be up to 70%.
Iberdrola offers its self-consumption solution, Smart Solar, for both communities of owners and single-family homes
A turnkey solution, where its professionals take care that you do not have to worry about many of the parts of the process: they are responsible for carrying out a personalized preliminary study without commitment, carry out the assembly and integral maintenance of the installation and, unlike other companies in the sector, they also take care of all the necessary procedures to apply for subsidies without this entailing any cost for the interested party.
In addition, Iberdrola has two other major advantages. The first is that it offers payment facilities and the possibility of being able to monitor all consumption, savings and other details of the installation thanks to the Iberdrola Customers app.
The most frequent doubts when installing solar panels
It is enough to review the previous paragraphs to be aware of the enormous economic and environmental advantages that solar self-consumption has for both users and for neighborhoods and countries. And even more advantages have to bet on the installation of solar panels in the short term to benefit from subsidies.
However, there are still many individuals and communities of owners who doubt whether to take the step or not due to ignorance of the available options and doubts about how the process develops.
Therefore, below we collect some of the questions that often arise among those who consider placing solar panels and generating photovoltaic energy from the roof of their single-family house, the roof of their facilities or the dependencies of their community of neighbors.
Where can solar panels be installed?
The best locations for photovoltaic solar installations are the rooftops, roofs or roofs of both buildings and single-family homes. It is enough that there is a space availability of at least 6 square meters without architectural elements around that can generate shadows during the day, since that would reduce the capacity of the panels to generate energy. From there, the optimal orientation for these is the south, since they are more productive when the light falls perpendicularly on them. How much can you save on the electricity bill thanks to solar self-consumption?
Photovoltaic self-consumption can contribute to savings of up to 70% on the electricity bill, either because the energy used in the home comes from renewable energy, or because companies like Iberdrola compensate you on the bill for the surplus energy you generate and do not use. How much does it cost to put solar panels?
The price depends on the number of solar pans and the contracted power, but there is the alternative of joining an Iberdrola Solar Community with a cost of € 0 installation since it is the company who assumes the investment. What are solar communities?
Solar communities are photovoltaic installations that allow 100% renewable energy to be supplied not only to the owners of the roofs on which the panels are placed, but to anyone who requests to connect to the grid within a maximum radius of 2 kilometers from each of the points where energy is generated. Being part of a solar community also has important advantages, since you can save up to 40% of the energy consumed without having to invest in your own installation. What types of grants and subsidies can I benefit from when installing solar panels?
The aid that can be obtained at this time when installing solar panels for self-consumption are of two types. On the one hand there are the aid that the Government has approved until December 31 of this year within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and that can reach up to 50% of the cost of said installation. On the other hand, the bonuses that can be obtained at the municipal level when paying the Construction, Installations and Works Tax (ICIO) when placing the panels (up to 95% reduction in that payment) and when paying the Real Estate Tax (IBI) annually during the following years (up to 50% for a maximum of 10 years, depending on the Community).
In any case, users interested in more information or resolving doubts about how to benefit from the advantages of photovoltaic self-consumption or install Iberdrola's Smart Solar panels, can do so by calling 900 92 33 33 or on the Smart Solar website itself.
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This text has been developed by UE Studio, creative branded content and content marketing firm of Unidad Editorial, for IBERDROLA.
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