According to Spanish PV association Union Espanola Fotovoltaica (UNEF), Spain is currently planning up to 24 GW of PV capacity to be set up throughout the country. Apparently, this capacity is currently being reviewed by relevant government agencies across Spain, in Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia, Aragon, Murcia and Castilla y Leon.
José Donoso, the general director of Spanish PV association Union Espanola Fotovoltaica (UNEF), revealed this information in a briefing before the Senate Commission of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda. He also said that the Spanish PV sector is likely to attract investment worth €4 to €5 billion ($5 to $6.2 billion) by 2020. From 2020 onward, he added, annual investment in the sector could be between €1 and €2 billion ($1.25 and $2.49 billion).
The association listed a number of barriers to this anticipated growth, including institutionalized legal insecurity, with the threat of cutting the profitability of renewable projects; a lack of regulation of access conditions and connection to the grid; and delays in the payment of final settlements for PV projects in non-peninsular territories.
Earlier this year, UNEF reported that 135 MW of new solar power capacity was installed in Spain in 2017, representing growth of 145% YoY (see Spain Added 135 MW Of PV In 2017). According to IHS Markit, Spain, Argentina and Malaysia are the PV markets to watch out for in 2018, as the world gears up to add 108 GW of new PV capacity (see 108 GW Of Global PV Installations In 2018). In a recent Spanish tender, nearly 4 GW of PV were awarded, which have to be installed by end of 2019. In addition, many companies – and this is where the chunk of the 24 comes from – are planning PPA based solar power plants.