Since the sun tax, a regulation that was established in 2015 and that imposed numerous obstacles to be able to use solar energy self-sufficiency in private homes and companies, no longer exists, we can take advantage of the energy self-consumption. To do this, we must know everything related to photovoltaic installations. We are going to dedicate this article to explain everything you need to know to enjoy your own photovoltaic installations both in the private and business fields.
If you want to know more about photovoltaic installations, this is your post.
Paradigm of photovoltaic installations
Thanks to the elimination of the sun tax, it is no longer necessary for photovoltaic installations with less than 100 kW power to be registered. In addition, thanks to the policies that serve to improve the ecological transition, several houses will be able to benefit at the same time from shared self-consumption. This becomes something ideal whenever the plates are in the same apartment building where more than 65% of the population in the country usually lives.
Those who want to bet on the installation of Solar panels at home and be able to self-manage their own electricity, will not have to pay any charges to the government. This legislation has made that lighten the administrative processes that are necessary to be able to enjoy self-consumption of electricity. Most of the obstacles that the sun tax gave were the requirements demanded by said regulations. In addition, to all this is added the amazing drop in the prices of solar panels that will mean that many homes and companies decide to bet on this clean energy.
Investment and savings
Once we have analyzed this paradigm, we have two options: on the one hand, we can hire the services of a company that specializes in the installation of solar energy collection, storage and distribution equipment. On the other hand, we can do it on our own only that it will depend on the budget we have for this investment.
To get an idea we take as a reference a single-family home that is located in the center of Spain. The total cost of photovoltaic installations can vary between 9.000 and 11.000 euros. Average consumption per household is about 3.487 kWh per year, which is equivalent to 9.553 Wh per day, which brings with it an annual outlay of around 520 euros, since the price per kWh stands at 0,15 euros.
Taking into account all these calculations and numbers, we can come to the conclusion that we would need about 18 years to be able to amortize the investment made. That is when we would save 100% of electricity consumption. The useful life of solar panels is usually around 25 years, so a total of 3.600 euros could be saved.
Maintenance expenses
To all investment we have to add the added expenses that may arise since it is necessary, sometimes, that we have to adapt the roofs so that the photovoltaic installations can fit in well. If necessary, some type of reform or adaptation must be carried out for the distribution and storage of energy. One of the advantages provided by photovoltaic installations is that we can resort to certain aids or subsidies, both from city councils and councils, in order to reduce investment costs. These public entities are increasingly encouraging all citizens to join and bet on renewable energy.
Solar panels require some maintenance and there are many companies that are dedicated to it. Some installation companies are dedicated to including in their packs an exclusive maintenance of their facilities. For example, we must know how and when to undertake the cleaning of the panels for their correct operation, among others. These factors are essential when assessing whether we opt for energy self-consumption or remain connected to the electricity grid.
Individual photovoltaic installations
If we want to carry out photovoltaic installations in our home on our own, we must first know the type of solar panel that we are going to install. There are different types of solar panels with different characteristics, performance and prices. We must choose those Solar panels that best suit both our needs and our budget. There are three main types of solar panels: photovoltaic solar panel, thermal solar panel and hybrid panels.
Photovoltaic solar panels are the two most frequent and which are usually used for this type of photovoltaic installations. This type of plate has a main characteristic and that is that its operation is responsible for capturing the energy that comes from the sun to transform it into alternating current. It usually has adequate power and performance for the correct operation of all the appliances that we usually have in our homes. These panels cannot work on their own but require a power inverter. In addition, you will need storage batteries that serve to save the energy that is used.
Energy independence
To achieve complete energy independence from being isolated from the electricity grid, we will need batteries and sell our surplus energy. In order to get the most out of the energy produced by the solar panels, we must have a battery that can store all the electricity that we are not consuming at that time or that we want to be able to use it for any specific purpose. Treat this type of battery as if it were an electric car battery.
Not only do we have to store the energy that we are not using or that we want to save for a certain moment, but we also have to think about what to do with the electricity that is generated too much. This excess energy can make us earn money if we commercialize it. There are some companies such as Holaluz that advise and even analyze photovoltaic installations and buy energy that is not used to be able to serve the rest of your customers.
As you can see, photovoltaic installations are becoming a more viable project and we want to increase energy savings both for our pocket and to reduce the impacts of non-renewable energy on the environment. I hope that with this information you can learn more about photovoltaic installations.