Anyone who has traveled to Spain is amazed by the numerous rooftops with solar panels. The country has 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. Germany has just 1,600 hours. Malaga, Murcia and Alicante are among the eleven Spanish cities with the most sunshine in Europe, according to a study by the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF).
So far, energy and water in Spain have been cheap compared to other European countries. The air conditioners were overpowered in the summer and the heating in the winter. Architect and activist Inaki Alonso has always been exasperated by the low environmental consciousness of his compatriots. The 51-year-old has been following developments in Germany with interest for decades. “The idea of the passive house, the self-powered one, has always fascinated me,” he says.
The photovoltaic industry in Spain currently employs around 60,000 people. In 2019, the regulation on solar roofs was introduced and Inaki Alonso decided with like-minded people to build a “passive house”, i.e. energy self-sufficient, based on wooden structures with 17 apartments. And now that the electricity bill for a household has doubled compared to the summer of 2020, the market is booming like no other country in the EU. Spain’s energy institute IDAE estimates that up to 14 gigawatts will be generated on Spanish rooftops by 2030. However, the country is generating only 3.2 gigawatts at the moment, 1.2 of which last year alone.
Tax advantages but also paperwork
A solar system without a storage battery currently costs between 5,000 and 6,000 euros for a detached house. Payback can be done in five to six years.
Some municipalities offer tax benefits and there is also financial help for solar roofs through the EU’s Next Generation funds. Expert Paula Santos reports that a simple installation in a single-family house without electricity can be completed in about 30 days. “Without the bureaucracy it would be much faster,” he says.
However, anyone looking to get into the battery power generation and storage market will have to wait a little longer in Spain.
Sustainable city living
There is still a long way to go, believes Enrique Barlet Castella from Essante Law School in Barcelona. “We need to make access to solar roofs easier and more attractive in Spain as well.” At present, the solar roof is mainly adopted by private individuals.
Santos believes that small or medium-sized companies could also benefit from the current boom, have good long-term prospects and moderate the power of the electricity giants.
Because of the German energy problem caused by the conflict with the Russians, no one in Spain doubts the triumph of solar energy. However, Alonso believes more in the collective spirit: “What is important is a collective spirit and a sustainable life in the city that will not be based on growth and price increases.”
Stephanie Mueller
Edited by: Maria Rigoutsou
Source: Deutsche Welle
Source: Capital
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