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After the Moves II Plan, the Spanish Government has already updated the third edition of the program for the purchase of electric vehicles and the installation of their charging points: the so-called Moves III Plan, which will continue until the end of 2023.

 

The budget of this subsidy plan is 400 million euros, with an option to increase up to 800 million euros depending on demand in direct aid for electric mobility and for the recharging infrastructure. 

 

These are subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles – cars, motorcycles or vans, and plug-in hybrid cars. These subsidies can be increased up to € 7,000 for each electric vehicle, raising the amount offered by the Moves II Plan.

 

Who can benefit from the Moves III Plan?

 

The beneficiaries of this subsidy program are both individuals and companies reluctant to buy a pure electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle with extended range. The requirement is that the price of this electric vehicle may not be higher than € 45,000. 

 

The self-employed, individuals, homeowners’ associations, public administrations and companies can benefit from this program when it comes to the charging points. 

 

Differences between the Moves II and the Moves III Plan

 

There are some differences and similarities between these two subsidy plans, although it is important to highlight that while the Moves II Plan was still in force, it must have been clear that applying for both plans is incompatible although both projects co-existed for a period of time. 

 

The AUVE (Association of Electric Vehicle Users) recommended applying for the Moves III Plan, not the second one at that time.

 

The main difference between the two is that the Moves III Plan maintains the line of subsidies for the installation of charging points with a much larger budget, covering up to 80% of the amount. In addition, this project loses the two points on the promotion of electric bikes for rent and the mobility plans of companies.

 

Benefits of the Moves III Plan

PURCHASE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles depend mainly on the type of model. While buying a new electric vehicle, you choose to scrap your old combustion vehicle. 

The existing subsidies for the purchase of electric vehicles under the Moves III Plan are as follows: 

Electric and hydrogen cars: €7,000 with scrapping and €4,000 without scraping.

Plug-in cars with a range between 30 and 90 km: €5,000 with scrapping and €2,500 without scraping. 

Electric vans: €9,000 with scrapping and €7,000 without scraping. 

Zero-emission motorcycles: €1,300.

In addition, the self-employed who use the electric vehicle as a work tool, as is the case of cab drivers and VTC services, will get 10% more subsidy. The same applies to buyers with reduced mobility and residents in municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants. 

An important requirement is that in order to benefit from this program, the price of the electric vehicle cannot be higher than € 45,000 excluding VAT.

INSTALLATION OF CHARGING POINTS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The new Moves III Plan is a great boost for the installation of charging points, since 80% of the investment will be covered (not 40% as in previous plans). 

With the installation of charging points, the % of the subsidy depends on the type of the beneficiary and the number of inhabitants of the municipality or city where the project is carried out. 

The percentage of the cost covered with the subsidy is as follows:

For the self-employed, individuals, homeowners’ associations and public administrations: 

• In municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants: subsidy of 70% of the total cost
• In municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants: 80% of the total cost

For the companies, public access charging points and power of less than 50 kW, defined as a fast charging installation:

• In municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants: 35% – large companies, 45% – medium-sized companies, 55% – small companies 
• In municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants: 40% – large companies, 50% – medium-sized companies and 60% – small companies

For companies with public access charging points and power of more than 50 kW:

• In municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants: 30% subsidy,
• In municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants: 40% subsidy.

Thanks to the Moves III Plan, the registration of electric vehicles in Spain is expected to grow by 75%, which would represent an increase of 70,000 units sold, according to data from the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers.

Therefore, the objective of the plan is to reactivate the sector so that by the end of 2023, 100,000 charging points will have been installed and 250,000 new electric vehicles will be operating. 

And how to apply for the subsidy?

These grants are obtained through the dealers. They will directly contribute € 1,000 of subsidy from the invoice. Meanwhile, the subsidy from the Autonomous Community will be paid in the following 12 months. 

The cold weather is coming, and just as we start to change our clothes for the jumpers and coats, we need to know how to proceed with the maintenance of our photovoltaic installation. Surely there are doubts about whether it continues generating electricity during the harshest months of the year. 

Well, we try to solve everything in this article, don’t miss it!

Does a photovoltaic system work in winter?

The answer is yes, of course. The panels are still exposed to UV radiation, no matter which season it is, the sun shines even behind the clouds. Photovoltaic modules produce electricity even when it rains or snows. The best thing you can do to obtain similar amounts of electricity produced during winter, is to make sure that there is no snow covering on your solar modules. We have to keep in mind that autumn and winter are the seasons when there is less sun than in spring or summer. 

But we can, and should, take into account a number of certain maintenance operations to ensure that this loss of performance is as small as possible. 

One of them is to shift our consumption to the central hours of sunshine, which will allow us to have a higher percentage of self-consumption, especially in the case of installations connected to the grid.

Another important factor to take into account is to know which devices are the most sensitive, as they may need more maintenance. 

Most sensitive components of an installation

Photovoltaic panels 

Those components are mostly exposed to the weather conditions, since they are usually located on the roofs and always outdoors. 

Although their design and manufacture takes into account these details, it is better if we carry out certain care such as keeping their surface clean. 

Another specific problem that may occur in winter is the presence of shadows. The snow or the leaves falling from the trees may cause a loss in electricity production. We have to keep in mind that a lower trajectory of the sun on the horizon causes shadows for a longer time as well. 

If you live in a region where it snows frequently, or in winter there are more hours of shade, it would be a very good idea to choose to install optimisers on each panel.

Batteries

The batteries are the most sensitive elements, and their ideal temperature is usually 20-25ºC.

In general, they react to the temperature badly. It is also important to be careful with the electrolyte especially during the significant dropping of the temperature. What needs to be done is measuring the voltage and density periodically and replacing every damaged piece of glass. 

Locating the accumulators under cover is very simple and may remarkably help. When you do that, the electrolyte does not freeze so that the batteries function efficiently even during the hardest months of the year. 

Another solution is to opt for gel batteries which do not freeze or directly make the leap to lithium batteries. We should consider such a solution especially when we live in the areas where the temperatures drop a lot. In addition, the mentioned lithium batteries are able to withstand low temperatures better. 

So how do you have to maintain anything?

The losses caused by the lack of cleaning of the modules can reach up to 8% especially in dusty places, such as near the industries or main road areas. We can reduce these losses thanks to a proper and frequent cleaning of the panels’ surface.

To keep solar panels clean, you can simply use water with a small amount of soap to make rinsing easier. Be careful not to use harsh detergents or cleaning materials as they can permanently damage the surface of the panel.

The best way to clean the panels is to use a soft sponge and a small amount of dishwashing liquid as well as pre-wetting the dirt to make it easier to remove. Finally, it would only be necessary to rinse the panels with water without leaving soap residues.

It is recommended to carry out such cleaning about 3 or 4 times a year, or more frequently in dusty, dirty areas. During the winter it is also important to make sure that there are no snowflakes that may affect the panels’ efficiency. 

We should also remember to check the different elements of the installation, from the inverter to the support structure, to verify that all components are working properly. 

In LRP Energy we always seek to ensure the safety of our customers, so we recommend calling a specialist to perform the cleaning safely, especially if the panels are located in places difficult to access.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us so we can solve them.

Although in the collective mind the first thing that comes to mind are the solar panels, a photovoltaic installation includes more components, such as the solar inverters, the batteries or the monitoring system; and many others that could be defined as the supports, optimisers, the bidirectional meter and other small components including the wiring, the protection and fixing systems, etc.

That is why it is important to make a good choice of all the elements in terms of their quality, performance, guarantee or price; and in this article we are going to tell you what each of these parts of the photovoltaic system consists of and what their functions are. 

Solar panels

They are also called photovoltaic modules and they are the essential components responsible for generating electrical energy from the sunlight, thanks to the so-called photovoltaic effect. 

The power of a solar panel is not the only factor to take into account when installing it, it is also important to consider its efficiency and long-term performance guarantee. Sometimes a lower power module offers better performance than a larger one if these two parameters are higher, as it manages to generate more energy covering less surface area and the electricity production will be less affected by time.

Other external factors that can affect the photovoltaic module and its energy generation are solar radiation, which depends on geographical location, the orientation and inclination of the roof as well as possible shadowing by elements of the roof or other buildings.

We can currently distinguish three main types of solar panels, which are defined by the manufacture of the cells of which they are composed: crystalline silicon (monocrystalline and polycrystalline) and amorphous.

LRP Energy always takes care to offer the customers the best quality and efficiency, that is why we only work with the best monocrystalline panels.

Inverter

Known as the heart of the photovoltaic installation, it is responsible for adapting the direct current generated by the solar panels or stored in the battery, depending on the configuration of the system, to alternating current, which is used by the electrical equipment in our home or business.

The inverters are also in charge to store information about the PV production, grid consumption and the general status of the installation, being responsible for the fact that we can monitor all this information. 

It is therefore a highly efficient and safe element, a key element in grid-connected photovoltaic installations and in off-grid installations whose mission is to supply electricity to a home. 

There are two types of solar inverters on the market and various ways of installing them, from microinverters to string inverters or smart modules that combine both the inverters and the optimisers. The choice of one or the other may depend on the characteristics of the roof or the type of estimated electricity consumption, so it is important to find qualified and trustworthy professionals who can advise you. 

LRP Energy’s Energy Advisors carry out a free on-site study so that each project is customized to fit each customer’s needs..  

Optimisers

Components located between the set of photovoltaic modules and the inverter. Their main function is to improve the performance of the installation by making each module operate at its maximum power point.

When a panel of a branch or string of modules, i.e. the set of panels connected, has a lower performance than the others, either due to factory defects, shadows or other reasons, the rest of the modules will operate at the same power as that panel, significantly reducing the overall performance of the installation. 

One of the easiest ways to avoid this problem is to install optimisers connected to each panel, so that each one operates independently of the others. 

Another way to overcome this drawback is using microinverters, generating a more expensive initial investment but at the same time being more flexible, allowing the number of panels in the installation to be expanded without limitations.

Supporting structure

The one in charge of fixing the panels to the ground or roof, there are two types:

• Coplanar structure: used when the panel is to be attached to the roof, this is the most attractive solution from an aesthetic point of view, it also allows better utilization of the available roof space. 
• Triangular structure: enabling to correct the inclination and orientation of the panel, optimizing electricity production. Their use is essential on flat roofs, they can be fixed by means of screws or ballasts. Their price is higher than that of coplanar structures and they require space between rows of panels to prevent them from shading each other.

Batteries and storage systems

They allow us to store photovoltaic production for later use, although the cost of such a system is quite high and delays the payback period of the investment. However, it provides us with great advantages, such as allowing the continuity of the electricity supply at all times and energy independence, as we are not constantly dependent on the electricity grid and we can make the most of the photovoltaic production of our installation.

The batteries improve the efficiency of the installation when the energy consumption is mainly nocturnal; in addition, if we are users of electric vehicles, there are even more advantages at the time of charging them. 

Secondary components

• Bidirectional counter

A device that measures the energy flowing from the electricity grid to the consumer (like any other counter). It also measures the energy that the consumer injects into the electricity grid. It is an essential element in any self-consumption installation with surpluses, as the supplier will compensate us for the energy surpluses, i.e. for the energy produced and not consumed that we export to the grid. 

• Charge controller

This is an extremely important element as it makes us sure that the battery system works correctly. This component is also responsible for preventing overcharging and over-discharging of the batteries, extending their useful life. 

There are two types of regulators: MPPT and PWM. The choice of one or the other depends on the type of photovoltaic installation as well as the use we make of it. 

• Monitoring systems

Applications that allow us to verify the proper functioning of the solar system in real time remotely and to optimize our self-consumption installation. Their main objective is enabling the user to act quickly if faults and/or breakdowns are detected in the system and when it is necessary to carry out a repair. 

In LRP Energy we make sure that your installation has components of the best quality that fit to each specific situation. 

Request your free study now so that you can check the viability of the project in your own home or business, and start producing photovoltaic energy from one of the leading companies in the solar energy sector.

Global warming is becoming an increasingly pressing problem and this makes us understand that the current model of life, and mainly our energy production and consumption, is not sustainable.

In a current context of uncertainty due to the scarcity of fossil fuels, with an exponential increase in the average temperature of the planet and with increasingly strict carbon emission limits, renewable energy sources and technologies are significantly emerging as the necessary alternative to face a change in energy consumption.

Likewise, photovoltaic solar energy is presented as one of the cleanest forms of electricity generation, as it does not produce any emissions while being generated. Several studies have shown that the carbon footprint during the life cycle of photovoltaics is lower than that of fossil fuels.

But what is solar photovoltaic energy?

Although it is already well known, it is important to know what photovoltaic solar energy consists of in order to understand the positive impact it has on our planet as well as on the environment.

According to the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), photovoltaic solar energy takes advantage of solar radiation by transforming it directly into electrical energy thanks to the photovoltaic effect, which basically means the emission of electrons by a material when it is illuminated with electromagnetic radiation (in this case, solar radiation).

There are basically two types of solar photovoltaic installations: stand-alone, mainly for pumping, signaling, communications and rural electrification applications; and grid-connected installations for self-consumption and sale of the electricity produced.

Ecological benefits of solar panels

Photovoltaic installations have multiple associated benefits but the most important and undoubtedly the one that concerns us most in this article, is the reduction of consumption electricity from the grid. The panels generate their own electricity, so consumption from the grid will be lower and this results in a reduction of emissions associated with electricity generation.

In the Spanish mix in 2018 emissions were on average 246 g CO2/kWh. This means that for every kWh of electricity produced from renewable sources we avoid emitting 246 g of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Another important benefit of implementing this technology is the reduction of pollution-related diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma or heart attacks. Such a reduction in emissions has a direct impact on the citizens’ health. All the money spent on curing the mentioned diseases could be used for different purposes.

It also prevents ecosystems from being devastated by refineries or companies depending on fossil fuels. Moreover, it helps to slow down the environmental damage, such as the felling of trees or water polluting.

What does the current situation in Spain look like?

Spain, as many other countries, is taking firm steps in its energy transition process. The data from last year, 2021, when renewable energies improved their records, especially solar photovoltaic, is great proof of this. Thus, throughout last year, the installed capacity of photovoltaics increased by 28.8%, incorporating more than 3,300 MW to the national electricity generation.

The boost allowed the electricity production to experience an increase of close to 37%, as shown in the Advance of the Spanish Electricity System Report 2021, a document published annually with the main magnitudes of the sector in Spain.

In 2021, renewable energy technologies continued their growth. At the end of 2021, 56.6% of the national electricity has been produced from renewables and their capacity was 112,846 MW. In total, the Spanish national electricity system has added more than 4,000 MW of renewable sources capacity.

Solar energy is an obvious choice for a low-carbon future with reliable, long-lasting energy, and it not only helps mitigate climate change, but also stimulates economies, creates new jobs and improves the integrity and security of the grid.

This is why the governments, especially the European Union and consequently the government of Spain, are already mobilizing to promote the implementation of this clean way of electricity production.

Perfect proof of this are the all new regulatory standards, which were explained in detail in previous articles, which seek to promote this technology by reducing the impediments that we found in the past and that have hindered its growth.

We also know that Europe considers photovoltaic installations as the best present and future alternative, aiming to double photovoltaic capacity by 2050 and to install 600 GW by 2030. In this way the governments intend to promote installing solar panels in both residential and commercial sectors.

In addition, more and more companies are opting for photovoltaic solar energy to reduce the cost of their electricity bills, while reinforcing their corporate environmental commitment and providing them with a differential value and greater competitiveness compared to companies that do not have this type of installation.

If you also want to help the environment and benefit from all the advantages offered by photovoltaic installations, contact LRP Energy so that our Energy Advisors can carry out a totally free and personalized study.

According to a World Bank report, only in OECD countries, where the consumer society plays a key role, 572 million tonnes of waste are generated each year: that is 44% of global waste generation.

Meanwhile, in Spain, each citizen produces an average of 460 kg of urban waste annually, this is six times more than their average weight.

But these figures pale in comparison with the rest of the world, with more than 3.5 million tonnes of waste worldwide, rising to 1.3 billion tonnes per year.

This shocking fact is due to the linear economic model that has prevailed for years in our society, based on extraction, production, consumption and disposal. This model implies high environmental costs, both at the time of production of products and at the end of their life cycle.

This is why the EU institutions are working on the reform of the legislative framework to promote a change in the current waste management model, promoting a true “circular economy”.

But what does this concept mean? We tell you all about it in this article.

The concept of circular economy

It is defined as an economic and social system that has the purpose of producing goods and services while reducing their consumption and the waste of raw materials, water and energy sources.

The circular economy focuses on production processes and proposes to reuse, repair or recycle by increasing sustainable manufacturing and consumption. This not only reduces waste, it also saves energy and helps to prevent irreversible damage to the climate, biodiversity and air, soil and water pollution caused by using resources at a rate that exceeds the Earth’s capacity to renew them.

To reduce these environmental consequences as much as possible, it is necessary to minimize waste generation and to encourage products, materials and resources to remain in the economy for as long as possible: these are the basis of what is known as the circular economy, which seeks to promote a new model of production and consumption of goods and services linked to sustainability.

The whole of society must contribute to making the circular economy a widespread reality. One example is provided by the United Nations, which, through the Sustainable Development Goals, strives for responsible production and consumption (due to the goal 12). These 17 goals are ambitious and universal, and represent a call to action to address the major environmental, social and economic challenges we face.

Therefore, the main objective of the circular economy is to make the most of the material resources at our disposal by extending the life cycle of the products: this idea arises from imitating nature, where everything has value and everything is used, where waste becomes a new resource. In this way, we manage to maintain the balance between progress and sustainability. 

Differences between circular and linear economy

Throughout modern history we have applied linear production models, that is to say extract, produce, consume and dispose, in that order. But for our society the rhythm of consumption is accelerating, as this is a fast but unsustainable model for the planet.

Meanwhile, the circular economy establishes a more sustainable model of production and consumption, where raw materials would remain longer in the production cycles and can be used in a recurrent way, therefore generating much less waste.

As the name suggests, the essence of this model is to keep resources in the economy for as long as possible, promoting that the waste we generate can be used as raw material in other industries.

Circular economy principles

The 3R rule, which is essential for sustainable development and the preservation of the environmental balance, is already well known: reduce, reuse and recycle. This means that what we take from nature should be returned to it when its useful life is over, in a cyclical and environmentally friendly way. Now, there are also four other lesser-known rules, the 7Rs, which are the necessary steps to achieve the circular economy:

• Redesign: thinking and designing products so that their manufacturing process consumes fewer raw materials, extends their useful life and produces less waste, or at least waste would be easier to recycle. In this way we increase our care for the environment. 
• Reduce: changing our consumption habits towards a more sustainable model. If we minimize consumption, we avoid the generation of residues, the waste of raw materials and also reduce the impact on the environment. 
• Reuse: by reusing or repurposing products we extend their useful life. 
• Repairing: fixing and updating old objects so they can be reused as vintage. 
• Recycle: promoting best practice in waste management and reuse it where possible as raw material for the manufacture of new products. 
• Recover: encouraging new uses for products that are going to be discarded. 

Benefits of circular economy

• Protects the environment: reduces polluting emissions, minimizes the consumption of natural resources and reduces waste generation. 
• Benefits the local economy: by promoting production models based on the reuse of nearby waste as raw material.
• Promotes employment: it stimulates the development of a new, more innovative and competitive industrial model, as well as more economic growth and employment. 
• Favors resource independence: the reuse of local resources can lead to less dependence on imported raw materials. 

But what is the EU doing to implement a circular economy?

Last 2020, the European Commission presented the Circular Economy Action Plan, which aims to make products more sustainable, reduce waste and empower citizens. It also pays special attention to resource-intensive sectors such as electronics and ICT, plastics, textiles or construction. 

A year later, in February 2021, the Parliament voted on the circular economy action plan and called for additional measures to move towards a carbon neutral, sustainable, toxics-free and fully circular economy by 2050. This needs to include stricter laws on recycling and binding objectives for 2030 to reduce the ecological footprint of material use and consumption. 

Finally, in March 2022, the Commission unveiled the first package of measures to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, as part of the Sustainable Action Plan, the empowerment of consumers for the green transition, the revision of the regulation on construction products and a strategy on sustainable textiles. 

Now, we would like to know your opinion. What do you think about this economic model and do you think it will be implemented in Europe?

The European Union has set carbon neutrality as a priority objective for the year 2050. The high CO2 emissions that we release into the atmosphere every day lead to global warming, creating an increasingly dense gas blanket and also causing the rise of  planet Earth’s temperature.

This generates a series of problems such as rising sea levels, alterations in the food chain or extreme increases in temperature. One of the best options to reduce these consequences and achieve decarbonization is through the electrification of the economy.

We are sure you are wondering what this concept is all about, so we will tell you all about it in this article.

What is electrification?

The definition of electrification corresponds to the process of replacing those technologies that use fossil fuels, such as coal, oil or natural gas, with others that run on electricity. We can also define this concept as the way to decarbonize final energy consumption in different sectors, such as transport, construction and industry.

Electrification is at the heart of the path towards energy transition. It is characterized by facilitating the development of renewable energy sources, the evolution of distribution networks and a revolution in using electricity.

Another closely related term is electrification with productive uses, which refers to the use of electricity to provide services that previously relied on other energy sources, such as fossil fuels. Electric cars as well as buses are examples of electrification with productive uses.

Another example is the electrification of energy use in buildings: a sector in which the share of electricity in final energy demand will grow from 42% in 2030 to 72% by 2050 thanks to the use of heat pumps and other improvements. Driving the progressive electrification of our buildings helps to replace the fossil fuels needed for heating and cooling systems.

Main sectors to be electrified

As we have already mentioned, electricity obtained from renewable sources can replace the direct use of fossil fuels. This is even more necessary in the sectors causing greenhouse gas emissions. These include:

• Transportation: the car is the vehicle emitting the greatest amount of CO2 per passenger, while electric vehicles are between three and five times more efficient than those with internal combustion engines. This is why it is expected that by 2030 around five million of these types of cars will be on the Spanish roads.
• Buildings: more than 8,000,000 homes have been built in the last three decades in Spain, adding to this number all the public buildings and old constructions, we obtain an immense amount of buildings in need of electricity. For this reason, reduction strategies, such as, the exchange of oil or gas boilers for heat pumps that reduce the energy used by up to four times are necessary.
• Industry: if its production processes are electrified, the energy intensity used decreases significantly, which is one of the objectives to be achieved with the digital transformation of Industry 4.0.

What are the benefits of electrification?

The main objective of electrification is to reduce emissions of polluting gases into the atmosphere, but it is not the only one, since this process brings other benefits with it. We will tell you about them:

• Energy independence: the abandonment of fossil fuels and the increased use of electricity means less dependence on third parties to supply us with these fuels.
• Job creation: The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) 2021-2030 forecasts that investment in renewable energy could generate between 107,000 and 135,000 jobs by 2030. In addition, according to forecasts, the change in the energy model could create close to 120,000 indirect jobs annually.
• Less energy depletion: not only are fossil fuels highly harmful, but they also cause other problems such as difficulties of supply or resource depletion. As we already know, fossil energy has an established end, since it is extracted and consumed. This is not the case with electricity – natural resources are only means to obtain the final energy but they cannot be depleted.
• Achieving smart homes and offices: electronic devices are increasingly connected thanks to the opportunities of new technologies, which allows the digitization of homes and buildings, paving the way for Smart Homes and Smart Buildings, the new real estate of smart cities. This digitization not only brings greater flexibility and convenience, but also helps us to improve efficiency and reduce time and costs.
• Savings on our bills: another of the major advantages of renewables is their cost-effectiveness, being the cheapest possible source of electricity. With the increase in power generation from renewables, the average cost on the bill that consumers pay will decrease.

The importance of electrification

Electricity produced from renewable energy sources is currently the most efficient and cost-effective solution for achieving greenhouse gas emission reductions.

In addition to promoting electricity production based on the RES, decarbonization requires the electrification of energy demand, i.e. that households and businesses make greater use of electricity instead of using CO2-emitting technologies.

Electricity is therefore the key energy vector to combat climate change and protect the environment.

That is why LRP Energy wants to join this fight and offer the best solutions for photovoltaic self-consumption, with terms that guarantee the minimum payback period and bill savings between 50% and 70%.

Do not hesitate and ask for your free study to know the feasibility of solar energy in your home.

In recent decades, we more often assume that the useful life of many objects is relatively short, because of deteriorating or becoming obsolete with the passage of time. In many cases, in the event of a breakdown, the manufacturer directly says that it is not profitable to repair it and directs us to buy a new one.

But the reality is that this cessation of operation is part of its design and, in many cases, has been carefully planned by these manufacturers to force us to buy new products.

This circle of purchases and renewals generates immense amounts of waste, specifically technological waste, which produces 2.5 billion tons per year only in the European Union. An alternative to this problem would be the circular economy, a model of consumption that invites us to reuse, repair and recycle existing materials and products whenever possible in order to increase their life cycle.

In this article we will tell you about the concept of planned obsolescence and the consequences it can have for the environment. 

What is planned obsolescence?

This term refers to the conscious decision by the manufacturer of a good or product to provide it with a predefined useful life and, after that time, it loses its quality, functionality and usefulness, forcing the consumer to replace it with a new one. Thus, commercial motives drive and sustain the phenomenon of planned obsolescence. 

In historical terms, the light bulb was the first recorded case of planned obsolescence: some 30 years after its invention, manufacturers had achieved such perfection in the design and manufacture of light bulbs that they could operate for almost 2,500 hours. Far from considering this a success for the industry, longevity put the business model at risk, as there was not enough demand to sustain the fixed costs of obtaining raw materials and paying workers. 

Therefore, manufacturers decided to shorten the lifespan and since then, light bulbs melt and we need to change them from time to time. For consumers, this leads to higher costs but the environment also suffers to a greater extent as more resources are needed for their production, increasing the volume of waste generated.

Types of planned obsolescence

There are several types of planned obsolescence, but the most popular are: functional, technological and design or psychological obsolescence. 

Regarding functional obsolescence, it is the most common of all and is easily recognizable: it appears when the product failure is caused by the fact that the manufacturer designed it to stop working after a certain point in time. As an example, the batteries of cell phones usually start to cause problems within a year of a purchase.

On the other hand, the mobile operating system could be related more to technological obsolescence, a form of programmed obsolescence that consists of incorporating outdated technology into products that quickly become obsolete and inoperative. The user will have to renew it, without any possibility of updating the device, as it can happen with desktop computers or laptops. 

Finally, design obsolescence or psychological obsolescence is the one that directly influences the consumer’s mind. It deals with a modality in which a product becomes obsolete just because it goes out of fashion. The world of clothing and textiles, where brands are constantly launching new collections on the market and trends last less and less time, so it seems a perfect example.

Programmed obsolescence and the environment

As we have already mentioned, the most immediate consequence of this constant renewal of products, which in many cases work perfectly but have just gone out of fashion, is the increase in technological waste. Such accumulation of waste, which also has insufficient recycling rate, results in a deterioration of the environment which, in turn, has an impact on climate change. 

Moreover, manufacturing cycles are becoming shorter and shorter and consume a greater amount of raw materials, some of which are scarce and strategic, such as coltan, which allows us to reduce the size of batteries. The product distribution process also consumes large amounts of energy, in addition to increasing atmospheric pollution.

How can we fight against planned obsolescence?

The first step, which is shared with the circular economy, is to consume more responsibly, trying to reduce the level of waste generated by our daily activities as much as possible. In this way we achieve a successful defense and preservation of the natural environment, in addition to supporting new concepts such as “alargascence” and  adopting consumption patterns that extend the useful life of our products or goods on a daily basis. 

Along with this sustainable consumption, it is important to remember not to throw away anything that we can reuse or repair, and thus also increase its lifespan. We cannot forget the importance of recycling, since practically all elements can be recycled. 

But we do not only find individual measures, as collectively the European Union announced in 2015 the introduction of a labeling that tells us how long the product will last, a move that France has already made into law. While the European platform Right to Repair advocates the development of products that last longer and the right of users to repair and replace damaged components. 

Germany has also recently introduced a new law requiring cell phones to last at least seven years. 

Fortunately, more and more countries and citizens are joining forces to promote a more sustainable model of economy.

Photovoltaics, a source of clean and renewable energy, is an increasingly growing trend throughout the world. Spain, with 2,585 hours of sunshine per year, seems to be a perfect example of a great opportunity to bet on energy savings, efficiency and sustainability with the installation of solar panels for households and businesses. 

Moreover, according to various research, the buildings in Spain as well as houses are already prepared for solar system installations, since 85% of Spanish homes could be self-sufficient thanks to solar panels and cover almost 100% of the country’s electricity demand. 

Even today, we continue to find articles as well as people spreading false myths about this source of energy, so today we want to debunk the most common of those. This will help you understand the profitability of these facilities better. 

Let’s start!

1. Solar panel installation is very expensive and not profitable

Yes, it is true that a photovoltaic installation may involve a high cost, depending on the electrical needs that we seek to cover, which will determine the most suitable system power. It is important to understand that the investment cost would not be small, but keeping in mind that solar panels will help us to reduce our monthly bills between 50% and 80%, during the 25 year period, it seems profitable.

Currently, the amortization of such investment is becoming shorter and shorter, so that in a few years time all the electricity produced by the panels and consumed by us will be totally free. 

In addition, we cannot forget the grants and subsidies that are available today. Those incentives help us to reduce a large percentage of the initial investment. If you are interested, don’t miss our article dedicated to grants on our website!

2. Solar panels work only when the sun is shining and when the weather is hot

To make it clear, solar photovoltaic systems have their maximum performance on sunny days.  Anyway, it does not mean that on cloudy days the panels are not working: the electricity production would be reduced but Spain, Brazil, Chile, Portugal and many more countries are the areas with the highest number of hours of sunshine per year, Spain has about 2,585 hours, so we can get enough solar radiation and save in the electricity bills.

As for the heat, high temperatures are not the best for solar photovoltaic systems. Photovoltaic panels do not produce energy by heat but by solar radiation, so what counts here is the number of hours of sunlight per day.

What about nights? Although the installation does not produce energy at night, we can take advantage of the surplus electricity investing in batteries or energy storage systems.

3. There are many taxes on solar energy

This statement is completely false! Since 2019, with the new regulations on solar self-consumption, the well-known (and hated) Impuesto al Sol – Sun Tax was eliminated; in addition, the possibility of new taxes of this style has been expressly limited to encourage the use of renewable energy sources.

The right of citizens, local authorities, small and medium-sized companies and cooperatives to produce, consume, store and sell their own renewable energy has also been established, without the taxes, achieving a more secure situation for all users.

4. Solar systems need a lot of expensive maintenance

It is logical to worry about taking care of such an expensive product. We seek to extend its life as much as possible but in the case of solar panels, maintenance is very simple and does not involve much effort or money.

As there are no moving parts, photovoltaic installations hardly cause problems. The only things to worry about are keeping the panels clean and avoiding scratching them. To put your mind at ease, we will tell you how to take care of your photovoltaic installation in one of the next articles. Don’t miss it!

5. I don’t need it because I already have a thermal panel

All solar systems seem the same to us, but we should keep in mind that there are different types of panels. One of those are the solar thermal collectors that provide hot water and heating, and others (the ones that interest us in this article) are the solar photovoltaic panels that produce electricity. 

Thanks to the second type you will be able to produce and consume your own energy for all the electrical appliances in your home, while with a thermal collectors you will not obtain electricity. 

LRP Energy offers you all the advice

We hope we have solved some of your doubts about photovoltaic energy. LRP Energy specialists can advise you for free. Contact us even today!

The carbon footprint represents the total volume of greenhouse gasses (GHGs) produced by the various economic as well as daily activities of human beings. Carbon footprint is usually expressed in tons of CO2 emitted. It is extremely important to take measures and implement the necessary initiatives to reduce it as much as possible. Remember that each one of us can help to reduce it!

All the daily activities of human beings, such as traveling by car, charging cell phones or running dishwashers, lead to leaving gasses that accumulate in the atmosphere which leads to overheating the planet. These emissions are known as climate change, as the Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) has warned us in its Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), and if we do not neutralize them in time, even more inhospitable future awaits us. 

That is why, in today’s article, we want to tell you all about the carbon footprint and how to help to reduce it, with a few simple tricks in your everyday life.

What is the carbon footprint?

It is defined as the trail of greenhouse gasses (GHG) left behind by human activities. This environmental indicator measures both direct and indirect emissions of compounds such as methane (CH4), nitrogen oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and, above all, the most abundant and most damaging to our environment since the 1990s: carbon dioxide (CO2).

In this direction, the World Meteorological Organization (Organización Meteorológica Mundial – OMM) points out that the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere reached a new record in 2019. Also, the aforementioned organization highlights that current levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are comparable to those of more than three million years ago, when the Earth’s thermometer indicated about 3ºC more and the sea level measured between 10 and 20 meters more than it does today. The carbon footprint has continued to grow, increasing 11-fold since 1961, and now accounts for 60% of the total impact on the environment, according to the Global Footprint Network’s estimations. 

Therefore, we can distinguish 3 types of carbon footprint: personal, corporate and the one of a specific product. 

Personal carbon footprint

It is the footprint of a single individual in his/her everyday life as he/she moves around, consumes, eats and uses resources such as energy. The Nature Conservancy estimates that each inhabitant of our planet generates an average of almost four tons of CO2 per year, and in some countries, such as the United States, this figure quadruples per person per year. 

The mentioned organization says that the personal carbon footprint should be reduced to less than two tons per year by 2050. Experts claim that this would be the best way to prevent the constant rise of environmental temperature. Reaching the worrying threshold of 2ºC would aggravate climate change and make it an irreversible problem. 

Corporate carbon footprint

Not only individuals generate the polluting emissions. Companies also carry out activities that generate greenhouse gasses, such as transport or energy consumption. Thus, the corporate carbon footprint measures all GHG emissions of companies and their scope, whether they are direct and can be controlled or not. 

Companies can choose to reduce their carbon footprint by improving their energy efficiency, consuming 100% renewable energy, carrying out awareness campaigns, investing in environmental projects, paying green taxes or buying tons of CO2 on the international emissions market. There is a wide range of measures to take. 

Carbon footprint of a product

Consumer goods and services also emit greenhouse gasses before, during and after their useful life. Pollution is generated from raw material procurement, processing, production and distribution to the use phase and transformation into waste. Meanwhile, the carbon footprint of events is also remarkable, due to elements such as transport, energy consumption or generating waste, as well as many others. 

Why is it so important to reduce the carbon footprint?

The billions of people on our planet are responsible for depleting the resources we have, and according to United Nations forecasts, the world’s population could reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, and more than 11 billion by 2100. Due to this increase in population, emissions continue to rise and the Earth’s resources are being depleted more rapidly. 

This increase in greenhouse gas emissions has a direct impact on global warming, accelerating climate change with disastrous effects on our planet. We can all contribute to the fight against global warming by making environmentally friendly choices in our daily lives.

How can we reduce our carbon footprint?

The coming years will be decisive in the fight against climate change, so here are some tips to reduce emissions. 

• Opt for responsible consumption, based on local products and produced in a sustainable way, or you can also create your own urban garden!
• Move more sustainably, whether by public transport, bicycle or on foot, and opt for more environmentally friendly vehicles. 
• Purchase energy-efficient appliances and regulate your heating and air conditioning to save energy. 
• Make yourself and others aware of the importance of reducing your carbon footprint. 
• Reduce the amount of waste: reuse your packaging, recycle it – if not possible, dispose of it in its corresponding container. 
• And choose 100% renewable energy consumption!

CALCULATE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

There are numerous free and very simple tools to estimate your personal carbon footprint in just a few minutes available on the Internet. Try one!

 

Many countries are still characterized by their high energy dependence on fossil fuels, which reached an all-time high of 81.3% in 2008 in Spain. Thanks to renewable energy generation, this dependence has been reduced year by year until 2013, when it was minimized to 70.2%.

According to Greenpeace reports, “the potential for renewable energies in Spain is so high that the available renewable technologies could produce more than ten times the total energy demand we would have in 2050”. In other words, a system totally dependent on renewable energy is technically possible if we combine different models of renewable energy generating systems. 

Furthermore, talking about the economic part, this report showed that alternative energy is the lowest cost source. Nowadays, this statement is normal for us but at the time it was found surprising because renewable technologies were the most expensive.

In today’s article, we would like to take the economic aspect into consideration. Precisely, how much does our country save thanks to the generation of electricity from renewable sources?

First, it is important to find out about the current production capacity of these technologies. 

Almost half of Spanish energy is generated by renewable sources

In 2020, renewable sources produced almost 45% of all the energy produced in Spain, a figure that had never before been reached in the country, according to data published by the Spanish Electricity Grid (REE), making Spain the eighth country in the world with the highest installed capacity of RES.

This is largely due to the favorable weather conditions, the increased use of wind and sun, e.g. wind and solar energy as well as the increase in renewable power installed. 

According to the Ministry of Industry, the most widely used renewable energy sources in Spain are: wind energy (51%), hydro energy (36%) and solar energy (8%). Together they generate approximately 40% of the country’s total energy demand, so the remaining percentage comes from alternative energy sources.

A saving of 67 billion euros

In December 2021, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that some savings could be achieved in fuel imports thanks to the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) for renewable energy sources, renewable hydrogen and storage could reach 67 billion euros. 

In addition, he indicated that the project would also boost reindustrialisation with the creation of higher-quality jobs as well as new business models,  thanks to factors such as the deployment of biogas around agricultural activity. 

Also, President Sánchez reiterated that the PERTE project could mobilize around €16.37 billion in investments in the coming years, already moving its first €500 million to various calls for proposals.

The future of renewable energy in Spain

Our planet aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Although this goal seems complicated, currently more than 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels, most countries are seeking for more neutral and less polluting systems.

 

The Spanish government aims to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 55% by 2030. The governors have been working for years on what is known as green recovery- changing the paradigm in saving energy through its efficient consumption. 

The government encourages the renovation of homes to install renewable energy systems and, since last month, it has also allowed Spanish citizens to save up to 40% of their income tax by renovating their homes in order to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. 

Furthermore, Spain is one of the European Union countries with the greatest potential for renewable energy resources, thanks to the high level of sunshine, strong Mediterranean and Atlantic winds and waves, as well as excellent hydro resources; all with sufficient technology and innovation for its development and potential. 

Don’t waste time and go green with LRP Energy: get your free study and a personalized quote on photovoltaic installations now!