Sun tax

The president of the government Mariano Rajoy

The Council of Ministers approved at the end of 2015, the Royal Decree that imposes what it calls «backup toll»To energy self-consumption, popularly known as the tax on the sun

Unfortunately, the worst suspicions of consumer organizations, environmental groups, business associations and the opposition have come true. They had been warning of this fact for a long time, since 2 years before the Ministry of Industry announced its objectives

Based on the report that recommended some changes to the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC), and the subsequent approval of the Council of State; the Government approved this new decree without any problem.

rajoy and they are discussing state issues

The sun tax approved under the mandate of José Manuel Soria in the Ministry of Industry is one of those laws that no citizen understands. Why Germany, a country with much less sun than us, has put more plates in a year than Spain in all its history ?.

The truth is that Spain was a great promoter of renewable energy at the beginning of the century, even offering bonuses to those who installed solar panels. However, speculation in the market and the measures of the PP government from 2011 they began to complicate this situation.

For international organizations like Greenpeace it supposes a "clear policy of penalizing renewable energies, saving and energy efficiency".

artantic sunrise, the greenpeace ship sailing through the mediterranean

In fact, Greenpeace asks the Government that Spain become a leader in renewables again: They demand that the future Climate Change Law include 100% clean energy. They recall that ten years ago they demonstrated their technical and economic viability.

Sperpentic, how can you charge your own energy?

Normally, the consumer who has plates installed and generates his own electricity is connected to the network, from which it receives extra energy to cover its needs, it is not always sunny, it may be foggy. Furthermore, many times what is produced is not enough; and if there is excess it can be sold to the network.

self-consumption in Spain is damaged by excess taxes

For the former Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, “what it is about is to tell the consumer that self-consumption is fine, but when they are going to use the network they we pay together It also has to contribute because, if not, the rest of us would be paying a part of our own consumption ». A minister who had to resign for his off-shore companies in Panama.

José Manuel Soria

Soria's public ordeal began when it was learned that he, along with his brother, appeared in the documentation obtained from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, origin of the leak to which several media around the world have had access, in Spain La Sexta and 'El Confidencial'. The head of Industry said then from the Canary Islands that it was an error and that his brother also did not know why his signature appeared in any of the documents. And to give credibility to his speech, he guaranteed to have asked the prosecution of the National Court to verify that he did not have companies in Panama. Later, the new search permit was also extended to the Bahamas.

From then on, the signatures of José Manuel Soria and his brother began to drip into company documents that the minister did not recognize, until proof of their relationship with a tax haven was released.

Former minister soria, the one who resigned for the panama papers

Grant

The ministry has considered that exempting from the payment of the sun tax would be a subsidy at the expense of other consumers. In the press conference that took place after the Council of Ministers, the former minister Soria insisted that self-consumers must pay transport and distribution tolls "to the extent that they use" the system and contribute "like any other consumer." at other costs.

Red Eléctrica Española, a company in charge of electricity distribution

Thus put it seems fair, and nobody denies it, but when you go into detail, things change, as the coordinator of the social economy company Ecooo (Mario Sánchez-Herrero): «The logical thing is that these consumers pay for this support (sun tax), when and only in those moments when they need to use the Internet, and not, as established in the newly approved regulation, in the moments in which they are not consuming from the network, that is to say in those moments in which the photovoltaic panels are working ».

The sun tax reduces self-consumption in Spain

What price will the sun tax have?

In the case of residential consumers, approximately 9 euros plus VAT per year per kW of power will be charged for each panel they have at home (sun tax). According to several experts, the disadvantage for this type of consumer is not so much the toll, but rather that they do not have no return for the energy that they produce and dump into the network.

In fact, to the electrician on duty, you might give away 50% of all the energy produced by your installation, which by the way: Endesa, Iberdrola, Gas Natural or whatever electrician, is going to sell it to your neighbor at 12 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). That really is a business and the rest is nonsense.

Endesa, a subsidiary of the Italian Enel in our country

In the largest facilities, industrial ones, consumers will pay two tolls. Those 9 euros plus VAT for each kW of power of the panels plus a variable one associated with the cost of energy. "It is the one that really impacts" according to several experts in the sector, and it will be about 5 cents for each kWh that they produce and consume.

Due to the cost it has for the system, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands will be exempt from the toll.

wind farm in the Canary Islands

Who does this decree favor?

Industry defends that the Royal Decree aims to guarantee the economic and financial stability of the system and prevent all consumers from «subsidize»Self-consumption, for them is the« solidarity toll ».

But to see the system, we would have to analyze the income statement of REE (Red Eléctrica Española), and that of the large electricity companies, such as Iberdrola, Endesa…. We can see that in all of them the results are billionaires, not the global results, but the results in Spain.

Investments by large electricity companies in the Canary Islands

When the government speaks of "the system," many organizations They ask to speak of "the income statement of the large electricity companies."

results 2016

Endesa

The electric Endesa has shot 30% its net profit. In 2016, the company chaired by Borja Prado it has earned 1.411 million euros, according to the information it has sent to the National Securities and Market Commission (CNMV).

Your gross operating profit (Ebitda) has grown by 13%, to 3.432 million; and the 'cash flow'(cash flow) from operations has increased by another 13%, reaching 2.995 million euros.

Iberdrola

Iberdrola closed 2016 with a net profit of 2.705 million euros, a figure that represents an increase of 11,7% compared to the previous year. Recurring net profit has improved by 12%, up to 2.531,7 million.

The operating profit before amortization (ebitda) stood at 7.807,7 million, 5,5% more, while the operating profit has shot up 18,9%, to 4.554 million. Regarding the gross margin, it has grown 0,6%, to 12.916,2 million.

Gas Natural

Gas Natural won 1.347 million euros in 2016, which means reducing profit by 10,3%, affected by a adverse context in the international market, limited by the impact of variations in exchange rates and with obstacles in its particular business, such as the intervention of its Colombian subsidiary Electricaribe in November.

The organization for the defense of consumer rights (FACUA) also denounces that the government imposes "the interests of the large electricity companies over those of consumers, who are harmed economically«. Unfortunately, we can remember that "the system that perpetuates has caused increases in electricity for homes of 74,93% in the last ten years."

Unfortunately, Greenpeace and other organizations have affirmed these last 2 years that with these measures, the government has rendered vassalage to the electrical oligopoly«.

In fact, the Government This same year, he vetoed the bill that advocates electric self-consumption without charges and that was supported by all political parties, except the PP and Foro Asturias. Its justification is that it would mean a decrease in income and 162 million euros per year would not be collected via taxes.

According to the government, it is self-consumption, it is unsupportive

According to the Executive of Mariano Rajoy, by reducing consumption who produces their own energy, it forces those who do not have such facilities to assume higher costs of system maintenance. In addition, that photovoltaic installations are quite expensive, and therefore it is something for the rich that accentuates the social inequality of our country.

solar panels that work with low solar radiation

Several organizations such as the OCU dismantle these two arguments. First, they defend the benefits of self-consumption for the common good, "incompatible with the idea of ​​non-solidarity", such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, imports of Fossil fuels, improvement of the balance of payments, employment. Second, they affirm that with a regulation of self-consumption similar to the one being approved in the rest of the world that encourages aid for the acquisition and installation of equipment, the electricity from the panels is significantly cheaper than what we currently pay. In fact, self-consumption would be one more tool against energy poverty and inequality.

Companies that consume a multitude of fossil fuels

Why would the Government want to favor the large electricity companies?

Several consumer organizations recall that "although it may sound demagogic and easy" - that revolving doors, when a politician goes from public to private, are not limited to the best-known cases of the highest positions, such as the relationship of the former president of the government Felipe González with Gas Natural Fenosa, or José María Aznar with Endesa, but rather there is a whole string of middle management positions that count on those doors to keep turning.

But in addition, he points out, the Government defends that “important things, such as energy supply, must be taken care of by large companies, and we need great spanish champions to have weight in the world and that our economy is viable. This involves ensuring that in a captive market, they have sufficient income so that they do not lose their footing in the fierce competition that they maintain with similar companies from other countries in the world. Defend them at whatever cost.

The boom problem

As explained by several experts:

“The problem with which the utilities find themselves is that they overinvested in combined cycle plants, production plants that use gas to produce electricity. These plants, due to the crisis, are working 800-1.000 hours a year, when they would have to be 5.000-6.000 hours. If self-consumption were allowed with reasonable regulations, not because it favors it but does not harm it, instead of working 800 hours they would work 100, and therefore it would still be more complicated recover from the huge investments they made »

biogas plant

Do our European neighbors have a sun tax?

As you remember the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (Unef), an organization that brings together some 300 companies in the sector in Spain. A country with abundant sun, where it invites to promote this type of energy, is the only country in which a regulation is being prepared "so that self-consumption does not develop" (sun tax).

Portugal

Without going any further, our neighbor Portugal «allows the development of self-consumption of up to 1MW without any type of toll and the net balance is made by paying the price of the surplus energy at 90% of its market price »

Solar energy in Portugal, a much more profitable investment than here

France

In France it has decided to bet on photovoltaic energy. As part of the plan to triple its photovoltaic energy by 2023, the French energy regulator CRE has convened several tender for renewable energy projects commercial self-consumption.

the boom of solar panels in France

The plan includes projects that could be considered medium-sized, with a capacity between 100 kW and 500 kW. To access the aid, the owners of the installation it has to self-consume more than 50% of the energy generated, selling the rest to the French public electricity company EDF. These sales will be incentivized with an extra help of 50 euros per megawatt hour in this first phase, dropping to 40 in the last call for the plan in 2020. In case of not complying with the minimum 50% of self-consumed energy, the remuneration decreases.

Germany

In Germany, large electricity companies such as E.ON promote their customers' self-consumption. Since last April, its customers will be able to produce their own solar energy and store it without limits, to use it later whenever and however they want. The service is called Solar Cloud- Solar energy producers will be able to store an unlimited amount in a virtual electricity account and then consume from it when they need it.

At the moment there is no charge

Such a fuss for nothing. The famous sun tax that we have been talking about in this article, implemented at the end of 2015 it is not being applied.

It seems that the former head of the Government's energy policy did not have time to complete the regulatory development that the application of that policy requires. levy on photovoltaic installations for remaining connected to the supply network.

According to José Donso, general director of the UNEF: The sun tax law has been approved, but the ministerial orders that will develop the norm are lacking. That is why the Government has not yet charged not a euro for the sun tax. In addition, the opposition is trying to permanently deactivate that law to prevent it from going forward.

In any case, that toll was the icing on a cake of cuts initiated by the popular party as of 2010, which left renewable energies in general without energy sources. production bonuses. Those cuts suddenly paralyzed the development of clean technologies and, in particular, photovoltaics and electricity self-consumption.

Tesla passes the sun tax

Despite the huge uproar of the so-called 'sun tax' that the Government of Mariano Rajoy approved at the end of 2015, the American Tesla has begun to receive orders to install its Solar Roof. Combined with its Powerwall 2 storage battery, these revolutionary solar roofs would allow homes to be self-powered by renewable energy using glass-tiled roof tiles with integrated solar cells.

Tesla Solar Roof, Elon Musk's new boom

In his Online store, Tesla already allows Spanish customers to order a Solar Roof upon payment of a deposit of 930 euros. This guarantee is "fully refundable until you complete your purchase and accept the installation agreement." The company does not offer no information on prices or delivery date. “You can book it and we guarantee you a consultation next year when it is available on the market, and then you can decide whether to continue or not; If you do not want to, the money for the reservation is refunded ”, explains its telephone service in Spain.

The three pillars of energy change

For Elon Musk there is three parts in converting to solar energy: generation (in the form of solar panels), storage (batteries) and transportation (electric cars). His intention is to cover the three steps with his company Tesla.

Elon Musk the founder of Tesla and SolarCity

Hence the idea of ​​joining the panels and batteries. Until now, anyone who wanted to bet on solar energy and do without the electricity grid as much as possible needed to buy the panels from a second company, and the batteries from Tesla. From now on, the steps will they simplify a lot, because the panels and batteries will come together. If we add Tesla electric cars and a new charger to that, we have a perfect 3-in-1.


A comment, leave yours

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.

  1.   Ernest L said

    Jesualdo Domínguez-Alcahud Martín-Peña was accused of extortion by the president of Coursesdeforex.es, Manuel Cabanillas Jurado, from whom he charged 70.000 euros to turn a blind eye to some irregularities incurred by said organization.
    Jesualdo Domínguez-Alcahud Martín-Peña is a shameless corrupt man who hides behind the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) to commit a crime.