Photovoltaic self-consumption grew by 108% in 2022 compared to the previous year in Spain, exceeding 2,500 megawatts (MW) of new installed solar power, according to data recorded by the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (Unef).
Structured by sector, most of this new solar energy power for self-consumption has been installed in the industrial sector (47%), followed by the residential sector (32%) and the commercial sector (20%). The remaining 1% has gone to isolated self-consumption. With this, Spain already accumulates 5,249 MW of installed power for self-consumption, spread over more than 200,500 residential facilities.
The general director of Unef, José Donoso, has attributed the growth experienced in 2022 to the high prices of electricity and the energy uncertainty caused after the invasion of Ukraine, which have positioned photovoltaic self-consumption as the preferred alternative.
“The promotion of the aid contemplated within the Government’s Recovery Funds has caused self-consumption to continue breaking records in our country,” added Donoso, recalling that the simplification of administrative barriers and the elimination of obctica licenses for all autonomous communities (except the Basque Country) have been vital to this growth.
In addition, Donoso has highlighted that, with the elimination of the “sun tax” in 2018, photovoltaic self-consumption has skyrocketed in recent years, going from 459 MW in 2019 to 2,507 GW in 2022. Thus, after exceeding the milestone Of the five gigawatts (GW) of cumulative installed capacity for self-consumption at the national level, Spain has met the objectives set out in the Self-consumption Roadmap published by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge in 2021.
From Unef they have insisted that this increase in self-consumption of solar energy in Spain must be accompanied by greater training and retention of talent that mitigates the lack of professionals. With this objective, the association has launched a specific training plan and a cooperation program with training centers and universities.
