In summer, temperatures and heat waves increase and with this also increases the use of air conditioners and fans. These devices consume a lot of electricity since they have to generate air at a lower temperature to be able to cool. The difference between heat and air conditioning demand is very small. The same happens with the amount of solar energy that could be generated if the Government had not imposed the Sun tax and the demand for air conditioning.
Spain could have saved a lot of electricity had it not been for the Sun tax, since the production of solar energy could cover the demand for air conditioning almost to the millimeter. However, large amounts of energy are consumed and wasted using conventional energy to run these appliances.
Damage to self-consumption
Disinformation in general has caused a lot of damage in the renewable and self-consumption sector. There are many people who believe that self-consumption is illegal, prohibited, very expensive or that it is taxed with a Sol tax, which all it does is increase our investment costs and profitability. There are numerous potential clients of self-consumption that they hardly know anything about the subject, because they do not know all the related information.
It is true that there is a tax on the Sun, but this does not apply to installations of less than 10 kilowatts of power, which is what normally exist in single-family homes. Nor does the Sun tax apply in the Canary Islands.
With climate change, the frequency and intensity of heat waves are increasing. These heat waves cause serious damage to the population and facilities. However, these inconveniences could be reversed in the form of clean energy if the Government had not intoxicated society with messages that despise self-consumption and that make it unsupportive. It does not make sense to say that it is unsupportive, when we would generate our own energy from the energy that the Sun gives us. Furthermore, we would not generate pollutants into the atmosphere or deplete natural resources. The only one that suffers from self-consumption is the Government and the companies that privatize electricity.
This whole situation could have been reversed if the Government had promoted the installation of solar energy, or had not frozen the renewables sector five years ago, first taking away the aid and subsidies and then He raised taxes by 7% to weaken them even more.
We have to think that when we need solar energy the most that it is now, we have it. Now is when the demand for energy for air conditioners and fans is growing, but so is the intensity and duration of the incidence of the sun's rays on the earth's surface, so it could increase the amount of solar energy that we are generating to meet that demand.
In addition, solar energy is a clean energy, sustainable over time, and in the case of self-consumption, it would help us reduce pollution and impacts on the environment. Every time the temperatures we have are higher and much earlier than expected. At the end of June we have already had our first hour of strong heat, with temperatures of up to 41 ° C. However, good sense does not come to energy policy, quite the contrary, every time the situation worsens.
Tips for saving energy
Since not everyone can be self-sufficient in energy, at least tips are offered to reduce consumption and save energy:
- Depending on the orientation of the rooms, it is good to have awnings installed on those windows and glazing where the sun reaches. This will help about 30% energy savings.
- The fan consumes less than the air conditioner.
- If we have air conditioning, we must place it in a shady place.
- The optimum temperature is 25 ° C.
- You have to clean the air conditioning periodically to avoid spending more.
- When no one is in the room, the air conditioning should be turned off.
- Do not open doors and windows to avoid air malfunction.
With these tips we can save energy and contribute to better energy consumption in summer.