Self-consumption in Spain 2024

Evolution and outlook

Solar self-consumption in Spain remains key to the transition towards renewable energy. However, in 2024 we observed moderate growth. This stabilisation could be due to several factors:

• A perception of low energy prices
• Inflation and high interest rates
• Delays in the disbursement of Next Generation aid, which took more than two years to arrive.

Despite these challenges, the future of self-consumption is promising. The electrification of industrial consumption and the development of energy communities are emerging as key drivers for the coming years, according to UNEF data. Installed capacity already exceeds 7.5 GW, showing that the sector keeps advancing despite the ups and downs.

Key timeline

• 2019: end of the "sun tax", boosting self-consumption with 459 MW of new capacity.
• 2020: despite the pandemic, self-consumption grew 30%, reaching 596 MW installed.
• 2021: a year of major expansion with 1.2 GW of new capacity, surpassing 2 GW of accumulated capacity.
• 2022: more than 2.5 GW added, mainly in the industrial and commercial sector.
• 2023: a 32% drop in new installations with 1.7 GW added, but collective self-consumption and storage grew. Installed capacity was around 7 GW.
• 2024: in the second quarter, installed power rose 41%, with 413 MW added.

Targets, surplus and storage

PNIEC 2023-2030: the plan launched in September sets a new target of 19 GW of self-consumption installations by 2030.

Surplus installations: in Q2-2024, 90% of the power associated with self-consumption is legalised under the surplus modality, allowing users to sell the energy they do not consume, according to REE.

Storage on the rise: at the end of 2023, Spain had 1,878 MWh of behind-the-meter storage installed, of which 67% corresponds to the C&I sector, 32% to residential and 1% to off-grid installations. An increase is expected in the coming years due to falling prices and NextGenerationEU policies.

Spain remains a benchmark in decarbonising the energy mix, betting on solar energy and self-consumption.