Spain's New Photovoltaic Installations Have Declined For Two Consecutive Years!

According to the 2024 "Self-generated and Self-used Photovoltaic Annual Report" of the Spanish Renewable Energy Enterprises Association (APPA Renovables), Spain's new self-generated and self-used photovoltaic installations in 2024 will be 1.431GW, a year-on-year decrease of 26.3%, and the cumulative installed capacity in this field will reach 8.58GW. In 2023, Spain's self-generated and self-used photovoltaics will increase by 1.94GW, while the increase in 2022 will be as high as 2.65GW, meaning the market has declined for two consecutive years.

In 2024, the new self-generated and self-used photovoltaic installations will mainly come from the industrial and commercial sectors, contributing 1.08 GW, while the residential sector will add 346 MW. By the end of 2024, the cumulative installed capacity of industrial and commercial photovoltaics will reach 6.3 GW, and the cumulative installed capacity of residential photovoltaics will reach 2.28 GW.

From a regional perspective, Catalonia is the region with the most self-generated PV installed, with a total of 1.52GW; by Andalusia with 1.44GW and the Valencian Community with 1.2GW.

In addition, the country will add 155MWh of battery storage capacity in 2024.

Jon Macías, president of the Spanish Association of Renewable Energy Companies, believes that the main reasons for the decline include the end of the EU Next Generation program incentives and the decline in electricity prices after the energy crisis in recent years - although the cost of photovoltaic technology has fallen to a historic low.

The association warned that if this trend continues, Spain may not be able to achieve its 2030 self-generated PV installed capacity target of 19GW. The association called on the government to take measures, including simplifying administrative procedures, improving grid connection convenience, and providing at least 25% corporate or personal income tax exemptions to stimulate market growth.

According to the APPA Renovables report, to achieve the 2030 target, Spain needs to add 1.7 GW of self-generated PV installed capacity each year in the future.