How to put solar panels in a neighborhood community: “They pay for themselves in less than two years”

Homes can save more than 1,200 euros a year with photovoltaic panelsPhotovoltaic energy is a reality, although it continues to trickle down to residential buildings due to ignorance of the regulationsWith the installation of these panels, users will be able to save between 50 and 70% energy in their homes With skyrocketing electricity prices, more and more people are interested in solar energy. NIUS goes up to the roof of a community of residents in the Fuente del Berro neighborhood, in Madrid, where they are already starting to install solar panels. “It has not been easy to get here, I started with the idea before the pandemic and I had to stop it when covid arrived. The first thing was to convince the neighbors that it was worth it. And it has worked. In the last community meeting , in May, it went ahead and it is now a reality,” says Fernando Arribas Uguet, a resident of this community of owners and promoter of the idea. It so happens that Fernando Arribas is an activist for Som Energía, a non-profit energy cooperative that advises the local Madrid group to communities of owners on photovoltaic installation. “I told myself, I’m going to advise my community to see if we can install solar panels. I’ve used a photovoltaic production simulator to estimate the energy savings of the common areas and of a representative house with four members”. How to put solar panels in a community of neighborsniusdiario.esThere are different profiles: those concerned about the environment, those who want to save, those who live alone and may not be compensated, large families… “In our case, in total you can spending 1,300 euros and the benefit between bonuses, deductions and subsidies can be close to 2,000 euros. The benefit is obvious and in my opinion it should be mandatory for most communities of owners that meet minimum requirements. I did not dare to propose accumulators to the community for various reasons: it is an unclean technology, limited duration (10 years for the best compared to 25 for the panels) and price (it would increase the cost of the project by 50%),” explains Arribas. You only need the permission of a third of the neighbors Few people know that you only need the permission of a third of your neighbors to install panels on the common roof, yes, only those who use it pay for the installation, a neighbor can having solar panels installed in your community and not using them, therefore, you do not benefit from the installation and consumption aid. For example, in a typical block of 30 dwellings, it is enough that 10 are in favor of the installation, and the other 20 do not have to participate in the costs (or the benefit) if they do not want to. The environmental benefits are enormous and already known: self-consumption favors the decarbonisation process and the energy transition, which leads to a more sustainable model. Arribas also tells of the economic benefits behind an installation of this type, which “in the end is what moves the neighbors to say yes.” Subsidies, aid and deductions The first economic benefit is that you are going to buy less electricity because the you are going to generate and produce yourself. In addition, the surplus photovoltaic energy, which we cannot consume because we are not at home, is injected into the network and practically all the marketers (there are more than 650 in Spain), pay for it (although much cheaper than how they charge it). The third benefit is the subsidies now given by the European Union through the European Next Generation funds, which grant up to 600 euros for each kWp for installations of less than 10 kWp, which is equivalent to the average residential self-consumption installation. That is, for a community of owners it can mean a 50% subsidy. The fourth benefit is the deductions in the Income Statement for the current year, from which each resident can deduct up to 60% of the installation made. Finally, according to the municipality there are discounts in the Property Tax (IBI). In Madrid, for example, you can get a bonus of 50% for three years. The total of the subsidies, deductions and rebates, even excluding savings in electricity consumption, can become, depending on the case, comparable to the initial investment. “We are overwhelmed” Jaime Molinuevo, from the SolenCoop company, is the one in charge of installing solar panels in this neighborhood community. “We are overwhelmed with work, but I understand it, this is good for everyone, you save and benefit the environment. And not only because of the price of energy now, but also because of the aid. It is a good time to ask for a budget and install them”, Explain. This building has seven floors with four neighbors per floor and seven commercial premises. It reached 75% of votes in favor. “The most important thing is to know the available space: decks, gardens, roof terrace… The more space and the less shadows, the greater the performance of the installation. We have close contact with the client to find out the energy needs they are going to have in the future. Obviously not all the space on a roof terrace is useful, you have to take advantage of the sunny space. A nominal power of 25 kW is going to be put on this roof, in a single-family house we usually put about 3 kW”, says Molinuevo. The worst, according to this installation company, are the prices of the materials and right now the lack of supply. “We signed with this community in May and we couldn’t start until September, we had to wait for the material to arrive,” says the SolenCoop partner. “There is aid, it works, it is profitable, it does not require major works and from the minute one affects the bill”. It is essential to request several budgets before deciding. In most cases, the installation company itself requests the subsidies (depending on the power you contract) and the connection to the network. “In our case, the installation has cost just over 30,000 euros plus VAT, between 28 neighbors it comes out to about 1,200 euros each. We can amortize it in less than two years (without considering the Next Generation funds and the deduction of the Rent)”, says Arribas. The spills cannot be carried out like the rest of the spills in a community (for several monthly installments over time with the same amounts). What the installer needs is that you pay him in advance for all the material (which could mean a 50% of the cost of the project) and the rest in various installments as the work is completed”. Housing is revaluedAccording to data updated on September 9, in the Community of Madrid, a total of 30,992 applications have been received for all lines of aid for self-consumption, energy storage and the installation of renewable thermal systems. Incentive requests for the installation of self-consumption equipment represent 89% of all requests for help. In particular, for the residential sector, 24,725 applications have been registered, of which more than 96% belong to individuals, while about 1.5% come from communities of owners. In addition to these facilities, investing in solar panels, which at first may seem complex a priori, is a good investment according to experts because it positively influences the revaluation of homes. It is estimated that houses with solar panels can be sold for up to 5% more expensive than a house without them.