[Anonymous]

The Spanish Government has introduced a draft decree to discourage homeowners and companies from using renewable energy sources like sun and wind for micro-generation / home power generation in order to protect the electricity companies.

Home power generation with renewables like photovoltaic panels and wind turbines will be hit with a new tariff 27pc higher than the normal tariff, and the Government can raise the tariff whenever it likes.

There will be fines of up to €30m for those who fail to register micro-generation installations and pay the tariff.

Chris Stewart, the famous author of some delightful books about life in Spain, might be affected. His organic farm in the Alpujarras is off the grid and they rely entirely on solar power. Chris is pictured above in front of photovoltaic panels on his roof. Higher tariffs will also apply to people who are off the grid like Chris, with no option of being on it.

We need more details on how this is going to work, but needless to say it’s a truly stupid idea. 🙁

There is an online petition against this draft decree here

More info in the blog: Government plans to penalise renewable energy production at home

Other info sources (in Spanish): Huffington Post article, El mundo, El Pais: Industria gravará con un peaje la producción casera de electricidad, UNEF (Solar Power Association)

Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Turismo

[Anonymous]

Next thing the Government will want to tax you for turning off the radiators and lighting a fire at home.

[Anonymous]

It is possible Ithink to use quite a lot of portable solar chargers for mobile phones and laptops that they cannot know about and maybe others discreetly placed. This ought to be challenged in the European Courts and raised in the Parliament. When you are using a metered supply from the grid itis clear how much you are using. -but I cannot see how any useage from a private solar supply can be charged for by the Government Do they expect you to provide your own metering and send monthly figures to Hacienda so they can come round and check the readings and at same time perhaps look and see if its a tenant using it .Mr Rahoy is going to be very very unpopular when the penny drops with the Spanish people that their increasing impoverishment is due to nobody wanting to buy their property however cheap and its his Government that is making matters worse.

[Anonymous]

Ptr, I think the plan is a fixed tariff rather than a variable cost based on consumption. So if you have photovoltaic panels or a wind turbine you have to register them and pay the fixed fee.

It’s an utterly stupid idea. 🙁

[Igurisu]

Incredible, just beggars belief to be honest. Couple this with the proposed changes in tariffs, moving to 50% fixed 50% consumption based and you can see clearly the government strategy.

Power is one thing most people can’t do without. However, I guess in these difficult times people are being smarter/careful and minimising power consumption, or turning to self sufficiency. The government is making sure they have all angles covered, whether you use very little, provide your own, they’ll still charge you regardless.

In addition to the backlash from the general “more cost regardless” approach, there could well be implications, and maybe even court or EU court challenges from an environmental policy/sustainability point of view. Here in the UK its still possible to get paid for generating surplus power and pumping that back to the national grid.

To be honest words fail me when I see things like this, smacks of pure desperation, and makes me wonder if the pool of sticky brown stuff the government is sitting in isn’t much deeper than perceived.

[GarySFBCN]

This is idiotic and depressing. On a personal level, I had planned on trying my hand at developing new applications of solar technologies to help the third world with their difficulties. I purchased a penthouse with two terraces and I was preparing to purchase another next year for my tinkering studio. I can find other technologies to use, so it’s not the end of the world for me. If this is limited to photovoltaic solar, I may still be able to use the sun’s energy for other purposes, such as a better solar oven.

So they are now in effect taxing the sun. Shame on PP.

[Anonymous]

Gary, you’ll be able to do exactly what you want because this draft, were it to become law, is completely unenforceable, which is another reason why it’s so stupid. I guess this is aimed at big private installations, for example businesses, not really a private individuals with a solar panel or two. Nevertheless it sends a terrible message.

[Anonymous]

The thought of having to pay a solar tax to “help” an electricity company that doesn’t even supply electricity to a property is absolute madness. It will be interesting to see how the EU reacts to this.

D

[GarySFBCN]

Thanks, Mark. Targeting businesses that make efforts to be ‘green’ with an arbitrary 27% tariff would appear to be anti-business.

Does PP have a history of being against environmental regulations? Maybe this is a political move and not based in economic concerns.

[Anonymous]

” is completely unenforceable, which is another reason why it’s so stupid “

Can you please list one law in the last ten years that was not stupid in one form or another.

Where they should be covering all angles is the property sector & relating to it. .

[Anonymous]

Article (in Spanish) that goes into more detail as to how and why the Spanish Government is penalising consumers and home generation. Madness.

http://www.inmodiario.com/148/17443/principio-placas-solares-viviendas.html

[Anonymous]

Spaniards rebel against solar panel levy

(Reuters) – Two weeks after Spain’s government slapped a series of levies on green energy, Inaki Alonso hired two workmen to remove the solar panels he had put on his roof only six months earlier.

“The new law makes it unviable to produce my own clean energy,” Alonso said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/14/us-spain-energy-idUSBRE97D0FX20130814?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews

Sunshine is one thing Spain has going for it. You’d think they’d know how to manage solar power better 😯

[Anonymous]

So the article mentions the fact that if you’re far enough way from the grid, you don’t have to pay the tax. This obviously means that rural people won’t all necessarily be hit by the tax. However, what does “far enough away” actually mean? Does the electricity company have to refuse to connect you, before your property is deemed “far enough away”?

D

[kgpoc]

Head scratcher, but then again this is the paradox that is Spain! I think that is why most foreigners hate the new laws about declaring foreign assets. It is not wealth based, we just want to make sure we keep an outside option open.

This is the only country I know where everyone hates the government, hates the size, cost and people of government but then each year all the young and ‘bright’ sit exams to get in!!

TGIF

[Anonymous]

@mark wrote:

The Spanish Government has introduced a draft decree to discourage homeowners and companies from using renewable energy sources like sun and wind for micro-generation / home power generation in order to protect the electricity companies.

Home power generation with renewables like photovoltaic panels and wind turbines will be hit with a new tariff 27pc higher than the normal tariff, and the Government can raise the tariff whenever it likes.

There will be fines of up to €30m for those who fail to register micro-generation installations and pay the tariff.

Chris Stewart, the famous author of some delightful books about life in Spain, might be affected. His organic farm in the Alpujarras is off the grid and they rely entirely on solar panels. Chris is pictured above in front of photovoltaic panels on his roof. Higher tariffs will also apply to people who are off the grid like Chris, with no option of being on it.

We need more details on how this is going to work, but needless to say it’s a truly stupid idea. 🙁

There is an online petition against this draft decree here

More info in the blog: Government plans to penalise renewable energy production at home

Other info sources (in Spanish): Huffington Post article, El mundo, El Pais: Industria gravará con un peaje la producción casera de electricidad, UNEF (Solar Power Association)

Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Turismo

Wrong policies of govt.. I have noticed many other countries policies are discouraging home electricity generation.. It is wrong as govt is just considering there profit but not trying to save environment

[Author]

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