In 2021, Spain entered the ranking of the 10 countries with the highest installed capacity of photovoltaic energy in the world, after installing 4,690 megawatts (MW), 3,487 of them on land (which represents a 21% growth compared to the previous year) , and another 1,203 self-consumption.
But, for yet another year, Catalonia has once again lagged far behind in this momentum, since barely 1 MW was installed in its territory. “It is a question of priorities and definition of the economic model. Although in Catalonia they are beginning to move and the legislation is being more permissive, there is a great contrast with communities such as Extremadura, with a clear commitment to generating cheap energy with which to attract business fabric”, José Donoso, general director of the Spanish Photovoltaic Union.
Although talking about the flight of companies due to the cost of energy may still seem like science fiction, private consumers can suffer from this delay in the supply of photovoltaic energy in a market environment in which self-consumption has skyrocketed again. In 2021, this type of facility grew by 102% in Spain as a whole. 32% of the new installations correspond to the domestic sector, compared to 19% that they represented the previous year.
One more year, Catalonia stands out from the most determined commitment at the international level. According to data from the International Energy Agency (Irena), photovoltaic energy has been the leader among all renewables and the most installed worldwide, with a growth of 21% in installed power compared to 2020, up to 942 GW accumulated.
