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With consumers everywhere becoming increasingly conscious of the need to look after our planet, more and more people are looking to solar energy as a means of reducing their carbon footprint and saving on their energy bills in the process. And now, with the costs of traditional sources of energy going “through the roof”, installing solar panels on those very same roofs makes more sense than ever, especially in Europe’s sunniest country!
callCarlos, in partnership with a Dutch-run solar energy company called SolarMente, based in Barcelona, can offer a range of solar solutions to help Costa Brava homeowners harness the power of the sun and produce their own energy. Few solar energy companies have SolarMente’s depth of knowledge or dedication to customer service, and even Leonardo DiCaprio agrees!
In early 2024, Señor DiCaprio, who is a strong believer in renewable and sustainable energy, invested heavily in SolarMente and became their new “face” and ambassador! In his own words, “The urgency of sustainability requires immediate action, and I think the model that SolarMente has devised is a strategic step towards a cleaner future”. More on SolarMente in a moment.
Spain had traditionally lagged a bit behind northern European countries in areas like recycling and renewable energy, especially solar energy (which seems pretty daft, considering the climate here!), but it appears that things are improving at last – and fast! And the great news is that “going green” is also becoming more and more affordable. Economical even!
Between 2015 and 2018, when it came to solar energy, for such a sunny country, Spain was very much “in the shade”! This was due to the infamous impuesto al sol, as it was known, or the “sun tax”, introduced by a previous government. This sun tax effectively meant that owners of solar panels were to be charged a tax on the energy produced by their own installation and, in addition, were obliged to “donate” any surplus energy they produced to the general electricity network, receiving virtually nothing in return.
In actual fact, the application of this sun tax was extremely ineffective because the bureaucracy was so impossibly cumbersome that few taxes were ever collected. It did, however, make an investment in solar energy pretty unattractive to the average consumer, even in the country with the most sun-hours per annum in all of Europe!
With the change of government in June of 2018, energy and the environment were brought under one Ministry, and in October of the same year, a new law was passed abolishing the unpopular sun tax.
As the Policy Director of SolarPower Europe said at the time, “The removal of the sun tax… is excellent news for Spanish consumers, who can now install solar panels without paying unnecessary fees. This decision will boost Spain’s solar sector and, in particular, the rooftop segment. Today’s new law supports a consumer-led energy transition and is fully in line with the EU’s new rule, which states that EU citizens have the right to generate, consume, store, and sell electricity without placing punitive taxes and fees on them.”
What this meant in practical terms was that not only was the tax done away with, but the new law allowed consumers to take advantage of the surplus their solar system generated. Basically, any surplus energy that was produced on a monthly basis could be “lent” to the energy network and then recuperated if and when it was needed, eliminating the need to store electricity using expensive batteries. This, of course, also improved the return on investing in solar energy.
In light of (pun intended!) these developments, callCarlos has been working since mid-2022 in conjunction with SolarMente. Formed in 2020, SolarMente is a solar energy partner based in Barcelona that provides solar installations in several parts of Spain, with many of their clients on La Costa Brava. With their vast knowledge of every aspect of providing solar energy, they will advise on the most appropriate types of solar panels required to meet your needs and adapt them to fit your property, with their comprehensive backup customer service continuing long after the panels have been installed.
There is a range of different types of panels available, and certain types may suit your property better than others, depending on your energy consumption habits; for example, whether you have a house that is occupied all year round or one that is only used for vacations, or whether or not you have high energy-consuming installations such as a swimming pool or air conditioning. Whatever your circumstances, SolarMente will offer you the most appropriate installation.
But SolarMente is not only focused on the installation of solar panels. They are focused on technology to combine different energy systems to make each house more efficient. A combination of different energy solutions such as Heat Bums, EV chargers, and Solar installations is the solution to have a perfect HEMS (Home Energy Management System).
Solar panels come in a range of different sizes to fit your home (or business) and are a lot more aesthetically pleasing than some of the solar panels of old, with some models available in a “sexy” black or others even designed to resemble roof tiles. Improved efficiency also means that today’s panels no longer need to necessarily face directly toward the sun and can be laid flat or parallel to your rooftop.
Technically speaking, solar panels are a collection of photovoltaic cells that convert solar energy into usable electrical energy. The cells are made of semiconductor materials, such as silicon, which can absorb photons from the sun and convert them into electrons. This technology of the manufacture of solar panels with silicon and other materials has developed markedly in the last 15 years, making current panels far more powerful and efficient.
There are two fundamental components for a solar installation. One is the panels themselves, and the other is the inverter. The panels take the irradiation of the sun to convert it into energy, but this energy is not directly usable in our houses as it is DC energy. The inverter converts the DC energy into AC energy, suitable for use in our homes. For this reason, the inverter is the earth of a solar installation.
Additional components, such as batteries, allow for more efficient solar installation. Solar systems only work during the daytime, but if your photovoltaic system produces more energy than your home needs, you can choose to store the surplus energy in solar batteries that can be used at night, or else sell it back to the grid for economic benefit.
Then there are other systems with microinverters, optimizers of power, or other technologies such as EV chargers or heat bumps… to name but a few. One of the differential values of Solarmente is the HEMS (home energy management system), which can combine all these energy sources to be as efficient as possible. The system helps customers optimize the system’s management, supported by AI technology.
To install solar panels in Spain, you must use a certified installer. Before the installation process can begin, the installer will carry out an assessment of your home to ensure that it meets the necessary requirements for a photovoltaic system. Documentation must also be provided to comply with legal requirements, which will vary depending on the location of your home.
The installation process for a photovoltaic system typically involves:
– Assembling the mounting structure
– Installing the solar panels on the mounting structure
– Connecting the panels to the solar inverter
– Connecting the inverter to the electrical distribution panel. This point is very important because not all houses have a new electrical panel, and if everything is not set up correctly, it can interfere with the proper functioning of the system.
Once the installation is complete, the system must be registered with the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan government) and validated. You will also need to sign a grid access contract for the compensation of surpluses. Solarmente can take care of all this and has all the necessary technical and bureaucratic knowledge to provide everything as one complete package, eliminating any hassle for the customer.
In addition to the changes in regulations that have made photovoltaics more accessible, there are financial aids and incentives that make the investment more profitable. Grants and subsidies available to help facilitate access to photovoltaic self-consumption in Spain include:
IBI Tax Credit (Town Hall)
ICIO Tax Credit (Town Hall)
IRPF Tax Deduction (Autonomous Community, i.e. Catalunya)
Next Generation Funds (European Union)
The IBI tax credit applies a rebate of up to 50% for several years, depending on the municipality, although this may not apply in certain municipalities.
The ICIO tax credit has a maximum allowance of 95%, which you can deduct only once for the permitted rates, again, depending on the municipality.
The IRPF tax deduction varies from 20% to 60%, depending on the community.
Next Generation Funds can provide up to €600 per kWp for homes with less than 10 kWp.
In line with the efforts to make Spain ‘greener’, there are also other incentives that you might be able to avail of if you switch to solar energy, such as a reduction in your property taxes from your Town Hall (Ajuntament) if you get solar panels installed.
In Photo 2 you can see three different types of a bin. There are two yellow ones on the left for all your plastics and containers, two grey bins for general waste and a smaller brown one for organic waste. Absent here are the blue and green for paper and glass. This is quite typical as, when it comes to recycling, by far the most important is the yellow category which is where you should deposit all your containers such as tin cans, drink cartons including the “tetra-brik” type ones (cardboard with a thin plastic lining to hold liquids), and anything else plastic.
In Photo 3 we have an example of temporary recycling bins that are often used only during the summer months when the local population swells due to tourism. These are towed away at certain times every day and empty ones brought a little while later to replace them – so if your closest recycling station is of this type and one day it seems to have disappeared, fear not, it’ll be back shortly! Again the colour coded system is exactly the same.
If you think the cost of going solar might not be within your budget, or you would like to divide the initial cost, it might be worth having a chat with your neighbours. Solar panels can be installed to provide power to adjoining buildings together or, for example, several apartments within the same building, meaning installation costs can be divided and shared among neighbours, but everyone makes the savings.
Installing a photovoltaic system in your home comes with the advantage of requiring little or no maintenance, apart from an overall check-up every once in a while. Cleaning solar panels is a simple task that requires little effort.
Despite this, dirt and debris can accumulate on the surface, hindering the system’s ability to capture sunlight. Fortunately, this can be easily remedied with a water rinse to ensure the panels remain clean and functioning optimally.
In the event that water washing does not fully remove accumulated debris, it is recommended to use a non-abrasive scouring pad to avoid damage to the panels.
Needless to say, Solarmente offers a comprehensive maintenance service, so you don’t need to worry to much about maintenance!
In the case of defective parts, replacements are often covered under warranty and can be replaced free of charge with new components. However, by opting for our solar subscription model, we offer to bear the cost of replacing defective parts, even if they are out of warranty.
Solar panels can be a highly profitable investment for both residential and commercial properties. The use of fossil fuels to generate energy is a significant source of pollution for our planet, contributing to the acceleration of climate change.
On the other hand, solar energy is a renewable and entirely clean source of power for our planet. The transition to a sustainable energy model is no longer a mere dream but a reality that requires much work to be done. Governments are seeking to hasten this process by implementing policies that support the adoption of renewable energy sources.
SolarMente operates all along La Costa Brava with plenty of satisfied customers to show for their efforts, as seen in their reviews on Google Maps. New solar energy companies are beginning to spring up due to the change in legislation, but few have Solarmente’s depth of knowledge or dedication to customer service. Their website is in both Spanish and English, but if you’d like to find out more about solar power, just callCarlos, and we can arrange everything, from the paperwork to the end product.
The information provided on this website is for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. It may not always be the most up-to-date information, legally or otherwise. This website contains links to third-party websites, and such links are only for the convenience of the reader. callCarlos does not necessarily recommend or endorse the contents of third-party websites. callCarlos does not assume any responsibility for actions taken by people who have visited their website, and no one shall be entitled to a claim for detrimental reliance on any information provided.
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