Solar Farms
End of the Sun Tax
In 2015, the Partido Popular introduced a so-called ‘sun tax’ to tax the development of photovoltaic solar energy in Spain. This was a controversial law as it went against EU policy to lower emissions and promote Renewable Energy. It also gave rise to a lot of rumours and misunderstandings, as installations of less than 10kWh of electricity, or in other words most residential solar installations, were exempt from paying extra tax. However, the law may be viewed as having been successful in achieving its aim, as it discouraged investment in and adoption of Solar Power. Happily, the law was updated in 2018 and again in 2019, to bring Spain in line with EU policies to encourage the generation of energy from Renewable Energy sources.
Solar Parks
As a result of the abolition of the ‘sun tax’, there has been a big rise in investment in Solar Parks. These are also known as Solar Farms and are large scale installations consisting of ground-mounted Solar Panels installed across large areas of land. In most cases, Solar Parks or Farms provide power to the electric grid as they make use of economies of scale, so can produce electricity cheaply. They operate as power stations, but instead of generating electricity from coal or gas, the panels harvest the sun’s power to generate electricity, which is cheaper than most other energy sources.
Murcia
Being one of the places with the highest levels of Solar Radiation in Spain, it is not surprising that Murcia is seeing a rise in the number of Solar Farms being constructed. When it came on-line last year, the biggest Solar Park in Europe was to be found near Mula. Capable of contributing 494MW to the grid, this plant alone doubled Solar Energy production in Murcia. Iberdrola is one of the big power companies investing in Solar Farms, one of which is to be built between Yecla and Jumilla. It is to have 146,880 panels in an area the size of 90 football pitches and it will be able to generate 50MW of power. However, Endesa has created an even larger Solar Farm with 248,000 panels just outside Totana. Other plants such as the one of 130,000 panels near Baños y Mendigo are currently being constructed, demonstrating that Murcia is a great area to make use of the sun’s energy to generate power.
If you are interested in using the sun to make your own electricity and reduce your dependence on the grid, having Solar Panels installed on your property to produce your own power is a great option. For more information on this or other Renewable Energy solutions, please email Free-Sol Solar at info@free-sol.com