Latest News

Spain's power cost woes may intensify throughout peak solar season: Maguire

After a. breakneck growth that lifted solar generation by over 200%. considering that 2019, Spain's solar setup rate looks set to slow in. 2024 as traditionally weak power costs mixed with high materials. and labour costs eat into designers' returns.

The chief executive of Spain's solar photovoltaic. association UNEF said this week that set up capacity throughout. the first quarter fell by roughly 26% from the same period in. 2023, throughout both residential and commercial segments.

Quick renewable resource supply growth, enhancements to energy. effectiveness and contractions to energy usage by market have. assisted drag Spain's wholesale power rates down approximately 90% from. their peak in March 2022 to multi-year lows last month - simply as. solar developers have included record generation capability.

Power costs have staged a recovery this month on cuts to. generation from nonrenewable fuel sources and the possibility of lowered future. solar installations, but might still come under fresh pressure. this summer when the country's already-installed solar. centers enter their peak output period.

PRICE CUTS

Considering that striking an all-time high of around 293 euros per. megawatt hour (MWh) in March of 2022, typical month-to-month wholesale. power costs in Spain dropped by over 90% to strike a multi-year. low of around 14 euros/MWh last month, according to LSEG.

This steep collapse in wholesale power costs made it. progressively challenging for energy developers to chart a course. to future earnings, especially offered the big in advance expenses. involved in building new energy tasks and increasing interest. rates which raised borrowing expenses.

Slowing orders from domestic customers - due to lapsing. federal government subsidies and greater loan and financing costs - then. added to solar developer concerns, and assisted trigger the slowdown. in installations noted by UNEF.

But even though Spain's power costs have actually rebounded to over. 30 euros/MWh this month, a fresh push lower can't be ruled out. over the coming summer.

PEAK PRODUCTION

Spain's solar assets produce more than double the amount of. power throughout June, July and August as is created throughout winter season. months, data from energy think tank Ash shows.

In 2023, Spain's utility-scale solar assets produced an. average of 4.85 terawatt hours (TWh) of electrical energy in June,. July and August, compared to approximately less than 2 TWh per. month in November and December that year.

The sharp climb in solar output in turn more than doubled. solar's share of the total generation mix from around 10% in. winter season to around 25% in July and August.

And in spite of the downturn in the rate of brand-new solar. installations, the overall footprint of Spain's solar production. base struck a brand-new high in 2024, therefore will generate even higher. volumes of electricity this coming summer season.

Undoubtedly, overall solar production from photovoltaic possessions. operated by energies through May 28 this year is approximately 13%. greater than during the exact same duration in 2023, according to LSEG.

And so far in the month of May, solar output is 26.3% up. from the exact same month last year.

This suggests that Spain's solar energy output over the. coming months will surge to fresh records during peak periods,. possibly exceeding system demand requirements during spells. of weak intake.

This heavy load of solar energy in turn has the potential to. crowd out alternate source of power and drive Spain's power costs. lower once again, particularly if domestic electrical energy demand remains. relatively flat.

A few of Spain's surplus power can be exported to. neighbouring countries such as France and Portugal, which were. both buyers of surplus Spanish power earlier this year,. according to energycharts.info.

However, thanks to a healing in France's atomic power plant. output and expected output increases from Portugal's own solar. possessions, Spain might have a hard time to discover all set buyers for all of its. surplus power this summer.

The unsold surplus might in turn weigh on regional and local. power prices, placing potentially fresh stress on the country's. beleaguered solar asset operators.

<< The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a. columnist .>

(source: Reuters)