Self-consumption

The Ministry of the Economy and Finance has eliminated an ambiguity in the tax code: the French are not subject to a tax on the self-consumption of solar energy – even in the case of rented or leased photovoltaic installations. This clarification provides valuable certainty for renewable energy developers who want to innovate their business models.

Thailand’s solar market had ground to a bit of a halt after FITs were cut. Osaka Gas has launched a joint venture with Energy Pro Corporation to market commercial and industrial PV arrays under corporate power purchase agreements.

Traditional power Germany and a rejuvenated Spain will top the chart for new capacity additions as Europe prepares to hit more than 250 GW of new PV by 2024. Small scale systems for self-consumption will play a big role, according to consultants WoodMac.

The procurements relate to self-consumption projects with a generation capacity of 100 kW-1 MW. The next tender will be launched in September and will allocate 25 MW of solar capacity. The tenders had been suspended because of low interest and disproportionately high final tariffs for surplus power injected into the grid.

A 4.8 MW solar park, which is being built by Danish developer Better Energy, will cover 20% of total power demand of a new hospital complex in Odense. The energy produced by the plant will be 100% self-consumed.

A social housing development of 100 dwellings will benefit from the electricity generated by 600 sq meters of PV panels. Any output not used by residents will power hot water tanks, effectively functioning as an energy storage element of the project.

The suspension of tenders for projects ranging in size from 100 kW to 1 MW under net metering was due to an unexpectedly low number of applications and disproportionately high final tariffs for surplus power.

The provisions allow self-consumption for communities and industrial areas; reduce administrative procedures – especially for small self-consumers; and establish a simplified mechanism for the compensation of self-produced excess energy.

Some 328,000 single-family homes could install rooftop PV systems for self-consumption in Spain, according to a new report published by Solarwatt. This means the country has the potential to deploy around 1.5 GW of residential PV capacity over the next three years.

Spain’s most important renewable energy fair is becoming increasingly about solar. After a decade of slim pickings, last year’s event promised better times and, if this year’s show didn’t completely deliver, that’s because elections loom large.