# Solar question



## jpsnwuk (Sep 6, 2018)

This may sound daft, but in a place where the sun is in abundance and electricity prices are high, why arent homes in Spain full of solar panels???? is there something Im not aware of???


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Basically, it is because the "sun tax" (effectively a penalty that a homeowner pays for not buying electricity from the grid suppliers) makes it uneconomical.

Those that have panels either are not connected to the grid at all, so called "off grid" living which avoid the tax, or, the panels are hidden to try to escape the tax.


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

In some places I believe planning rules forbid solar panels on the roof for aesthetic reasons.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Overandout said:


> Basically, it is because the "sun tax" (effectively a penalty that a homeowner pays for not buying electricity from the grid suppliers) makes it uneconomical.
> 
> Those that have panels either are not connected to the grid at all, so called "off grid" living which avoid the tax, or, the panels are hidden to try to escape the tax.


There is no such thing as "sun tax" - it was never brought into legislation.

[Unless you can show me where the law was approved]


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> There is no such thing as "sun tax" - it was never brought into legislation.
> 
> [Unless you can show me where the law was approved]


Read this:

https://comparadorluz.com/faq/que-es-impuesto-sol

Granted, it isn't a tax in the sense that it is paid to the government via Hacienda, instead being a "canon" paid to the electricity company.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jpsnwuk said:


> This may sound daft, but in a place where the sun is in abundance and electricity prices are high, why arent homes in Spain full of solar panels???? is there something Im not aware of???


 It's a question of politics and how it can screw up a country's potential.


Here's some info. Look at 2014 - 16

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Spain#2014-2016


The future?
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/12/spain-set-to-cancel-solar-tax/


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

The problem is political. Spain used to be a leader in the field with all new buildings required to have solar panels. Then the government stopped the subsidies and reduced the "buy back" price for solar power, so investment dried up. However things are changing and Iberdrola etc are building new solar farms.

https://www.thelocal.es/20180402/solar-seeks-its-place-under-spanish-sun


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> There is no such thing as "sun tax" - it was never brought into legislation.
> 
> [Unless you can show me where the law was approved]


It was approved in 2015, but I recall them raising the threshold so that most domestic consumers wouldn't have to pay anything. But they still can't sell surplus power back to the grid.

Anyway, it will soon be history.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/12/spain-set-to-cancel-solar-tax/


----------



## Costachick (Apr 22, 2016)

There is a block just in front of me that has solar panels on the roof.


----------



## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Alcalaina said:


> It was approved in 2015, but I recall them raising the threshold so that most domestic consumers wouldn't have to pay anything. But they still can't sell surplus power back to the grid.
> 
> Anyway, it will soon be history.
> 
> https://www.pv-magazine.com/2018/06/12/spain-set-to-cancel-solar-tax/


I read that the decree was NEVER ratified and so was never law.

Do you have a link to show that people are actually paying it.

Also, Solar in Spain advertise based on the fact that one CAN sell surplus power to 'the grid'. I challenged them on this and was told it was perfectly possible and that they had many clients doing it.


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

RD 900/2015 of 9th October.

https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2015-10927


----------



## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

snikpoh said:


> I read that the decree was NEVER ratified and so was never law.
> 
> Do you have a link to show that people are actually paying it.
> 
> Also, Solar in Spain advertise based on the fact that one CAN sell surplus power to 'the grid'. I challenged them on this and was told it was perfectly possible and that they had many clients doing it.


I have done a bit of reading and it seems that partly, you are right.

Firstly, the law is ratified by the Royal Decree, so to say that it is not law is incorrect.

But, the "Orders" which would establish the rates to be applied by the supply companies were never published for 2016, so it was impossible for them to collect any money through application of the law.

In 2017, the Orders were issued, but the companies were not ready with billing systems and the means to collect payments, so official figures for 2017 are 0€.

However, for 2018, although far from what was expected, around 170,000€ has been collected so far according to the CNMV. 

So some poor fools are paying it.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Sun tax to go, "winter fuel allowance" to be introduced for vulnerable consumers, and a ban on door-to-door touting by energy companies.

https://www.eldiario.es/economia/Gobierno-impuesto-suspende-impuestos-abaratar_0_821718297.html


----------



## growurown (Sep 3, 2018)

If you cannot read and understand Spanish. 

https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2018/10/06/spains-solar-sun-tax-set-to-be-scrapped-in-bid-to-cut-household-power-bills/#.W7nTbxFoTIU


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

growurown said:


> If you cannot read and understand Spanish.
> 
> https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2018/10/06/spains-solar-sun-tax-set-to-be-scrapped-in-bid-to-cut-household-power-bills/#.W7nTbxFoTIU


Thanks.

But if you can't read Spanish, there is a app in Chrome which translates any web page to any language at a single click. I assume other browsers have something similar.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-translate/aapbdbdomjkkjkaonfhkkikfgjllcleb?hl=en


----------

