Self-energy consumption fell 27% due to price volatility and government aid | Companies

Self-consumption of energy is undergoing a period of some reconversion, or at least slow digestion, which is affected by price volatility and changes in government assistance. In 2023, the sector registered the first contraction in its growth in Spain, after annual installed capacity was multiplied by 26 in the last four years, with 1,943 new megawatts (MW) installed in the last year, representing a reduction of 27% compared with a record high in 2022. This was the data provided this Monday by the Association of Renewable Energy Companies (APPA Renovables) in its annual report on photovoltaic self-consumption.

Despite this slowdown, with nearly 2,000 new MW added last year (1,416 MW industrial and 527 MW residential), self-consumption surpassed the 7 gigawatt (GW) barrier set for the country at the end of 2023. However, this level is far from 2650 MW (1625 industrial MW and 1024 residential MW) in 2022.

APPA Renovables CEO José María González Moya attributed the “temporary” drop to the gradual end of aid to sites from EU Recovery Funds and a fall in electricity prices from the peaks they experienced in 2022.

In this sense, APPA president of self-consumption John Macias believes that, aside from this trend reversal in 2023, the data is “very good” as it reflects a 69% increase in self-consumption over two years. , which “consolidates” the sector and allows us to move towards the 19 GW target set for 2030 under the government’s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). This would require a capacity of 1.6 GW per year, and “we are above that,” Gonzalez Moya said, EP reported.

These growth rates in recent years have allowed captive consumption to surpass nuclear power in terms of installed capacity following the “boom” that occurred in recent years following the end of the so-called “solar tax” with the arrival of the PSOE government. not in contribution to production.

In addition, in 2024, APPA considers it “realistic” that the sector will be able to move to the levels of new electricity introduced for its own consumption from last year, as installations become cheaper. “We believe that we can reach this 1.9 GW in 2023,” added González Moya.

Losses

However, the sector laments the challenges large utilities face in dumping and marketing their surplus, leading to the “absurd” situation of having to block generation with discharge prevention systems due to “regulatory and technical restrictions”.

This means that 18% of possible generation is wasted, around 1642 GWh, which would have amounted to a cost close to €131 million last year alone. Thus, since 2016, companies have accumulated losses of 405 million euros due to the energy that cannot be poured into the electrical system. Moreover, if all self-consumption were used to meet demand, it would amount to 3.7% of national electricity consumption, resulting in a loss of 0.7% that could not be transferred to the grid.

Regarding the future challenges of sector consolidation, APPA expresses its concern about the existing “intrusion” which has resulted in “some installations being carried out in a less than optimal manner”.

On the other hand, regarding the overall deployment of renewable energy technologies in Spain, González Moya indicated that by the end of 2023 the installed capacity figure will be in line with that of 2022 – around 7-8 GW – although he warned that there will be an imbalance in this growth between solar and wind power, with only about 600 megawatts (MW) of capacity, down from 1,500 MW the previous year. “They put all their eggs in one basket,” he assured.

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