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Despite the youth of this market, which has operated in Europe since 2011, we can see that electric vehicles are already a reality in the European car fleet. 

Day by day, electric cars are gaining in sales over combustion-engine cars, thanks to their consolidation as a sustainable alternative. Moreover, the number of available charging points is steadily growing, with more than 5,000 in operation in Spain. We are even beginning to see ultra-fast charging post infrastructures strategically distributed along the motorways and highways.

Therefore, today we would like to analyze the advantages offered by this method of transport. 

Zero emissions

The biggest advantage of these vehicles to date is that electric cars produce no emissions during operation and are therefore considered to be environmentally friendly means of transport. They do not emit CO2 or nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere. They even have no exhaust pipe. 

This is what makes the electric car the ideal model for daily driving in and around cities, where most pollution is concentrated. This is a consequence not only of road traffic but also of buildings’ heating, construction sites as well as work machinery. 

No emissions is the main benefit we are interested in if we are concerned about the environment and ecology. 

Lower running costs

Although the initial investment in an electric car is higher than in a usual one, it tends to be compensated by the lower cost of driving: if the most efficient combustion vehicles have a cost of around 5 or 6 euros per 100 kilometers, in battery-powered cars the cost of use decreases to just 1.5 euros. This is due to the lower price of electricity in comparison to fuel price. Although the prices of such vehicles are different, they are becoming smaller and smaller.

Spanish tax advantages

The zero pollution of electric vehicles also brings a series of fiscal rewards: by receiving the Zero Emissions label from the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), they are exempt from paying registration tax. This is already a significant saving, as this tax can be up to 14.75% of the price of the model. 

There also are discounts on the payment of the Impuesto de Vehículos de Tracción Mecánica, better known as road tax, although this depends on each city council, but in almost all cities in Spain the discounts are offered and, in the case of Madrid and Barcelona, they are up to 75%.

Almost non-existent maintenance

If we do not count the operating costs of wearable elements, such as brakes or tyres, the maintenance of an electric car is reduced to checking the state of the batteries and electric motors from time to time. So there is no need to change filters, lubricants or various fluids. 

Furthermore, as there is no need for a traditional engine and gearbox with clutch, breakdowns of this kind are reduced to practically none: electric vehicles use very few moving parts that are exposed to wear and tear. 

Facilities in cities

In Spain, due to the Climate Change Law, all municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants are obliged to establish Low Emission Zones (LEZ), where access to the most polluting vehicles is partially restricted, generally on working days and high pollution episodes.

Electric cars, on the other hand, have the DGT’s Zero Emissions label, which allows them to circulate freely in such zones. However, it is important to keep an eye on local regulations, as in Madrid, for example, electric cars must comply with the 70 km/h speed limit on the M-30.

In addition, on certain roads they are also allowed to drive in high occupancy lanes (VAO) even if the driver is traveling alone, which represents a significant saving in travel time.

Parking facilities are also offered in many cities, exempting electric vehicles from parking fees and parking restrictions, including green or blue zones. 

Purchase incentives

The Spanish government has encouraged the purchase of electric cars through the MOVES III Plan, which offers grants of up to €7,000 to individuals who purchase an electric car if they also trade in their old car. 

This plan will run until 31 December 2023, with an initial budget of 400 million euros. 

In addition to these official incentive programmes, the manufacturers themselves offer attractive financing conditions for the purchase of electric vehicles. This is another incentive to buy them and makes them a more affordable investment.

Range on the rise

Research and development of the batteries has significantly improved the energy density and range of the electric vehicles.

While the first electric car of the modern era (2011) only offered 160 kilometers of range, today it is already close to 600 kilometers of range.

Larger network of charging points

As we said at the beginning of our article, the number of charging points is currently expanding rapidly, with more than 5,000 public charging points in Spain, mainly concentrated in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. 

In addition to the general increase in the number of urban charging points, we can see more and more fast charging stations on motorways, designed for traveling, such as the almost 400 that the IONITY consortium has throughout Europe. These are high-capacity posts, with a power of up to 350 kW, allowing us to charge the batteries in record time. They use the CCS charging standard, which is most widespread among European, American and Korean electric models.

Fortunately, home charging has also improved by leaps and bounds, as most electric vehicles are compatible with our home socket, although it has only limited power and will take longer to charge. 

The home chargers are even more interesting. LRP Energy can offer you such solutions. The operation of such systems is so simple that you can use it not only for your electric vehicle but also for any other electrical device you need. 

Disadvantages and drawbacks

It is also important to be aware of the downsides of such investment, so here are the disadvantages that still exist in electric models.

Although the increase in range is being continuously developed, the average is usually between 150 and 450 km. Taking the average charging time as well as long journeys as our main car use into account, those figures seem to be very low.

We should also bear in mind that this type of vehicle achieves lower top speeds than traditional combustion vehicles do. Although this seems not to be a decisive point for all the drivers. 

We have already mentioned that one of the advantages of electric cars is that they have fewer parts. However, this fact is also likely to become a major disadvantage especially when it comes to finding a specialized workshop. As the proliferation of this type of vehicle is not yet so widespread, not too many mechanics know how to fix the faults. In addition, due to the limited number of vehicles in the national automotive universe, obtaining parts can be complicated, and it may even be necessary to import the components. 

After this analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles, what do you think of such car models? Do you think they fit your driving style?

At LRP Energy we know that when it comes to such installations, many people have a lot of doubts, so in our articles and posts we try to solve them all. 

If you’ve been thinking about investing in photovoltaics, you have surely asked yourself what is the best time to start this project. At first, you probably thought of summer, due to the many hours of sunshine and high temperatures we usually have all over the country. 

Interestingly – it is not the best time of the year to install photovoltaic panels because the modules can overheat from the strong sun and high temperatures. The wrong thinking may come from connecting the sun with heat. Photovoltaics need sunlight to convert it into electricity, not the heat. 

 So if not in the summer, when is the best time to get our installation done? The first thing you should know is that solar panels are profitable all over the year, although their production and efficiency is different depending on the season.

In addition, it is important to consider the time of installation and commissioning of the project in order to calculate when we should start planning it. 

Summer vs. winter

Regardless of the season in progress, whether it is hot or cold, photovoltaic installations do not stop working at any time when there is sunlight, thanks to the fact that their operation, as we have already mentioned, is due to solar radiation converting light into electricity for our home. Therefore, as long as we have a good location that allows us to make the most of the daylight hours, our installation will generate energy all year round. 

First of all, we should know that the efficiency of photovoltaic installations does not decrease in winter, in fact, it can even be higher than in summer in some cases, as the panels will not overheat. However, it is true that the total energy production is usually lower because the days are shorter and therefore we have fewer hours of daylight. 

In summer, on the other hand, hot weather can affect the output of solar panels, with the possibility that on the hottest days the installation will not reach maximum output due to heating up the panels. Nevertheless, summer production is usually the highest of the year thanks to the 15 or more hours of sunshine per day we receive in our country. 

Autumn and spring, the optimal seasons

In Spain and the geographical region in which we are located, we are fortunate to enjoy long periods of sunshine throughout the year, keeping solar energy production stable. Spring and autumn are considered better than the opposite seasons, summer and winter: many hours of light and milder temperatures. This makes spring and autumn the perfect time to consider a solar installation. 

Also, as an installation company, it’s true that we have a contracting boom in the summer, so in the off-season you can benefit from shorter delivery times and quicker processes. Similarly, if we have administrative procedures, we cannot carry them out if town halls and public offices are closed.

Is it cost-effective to install solar panels?

In general, a photovoltaic installation helps us to reduce our electricity costs by 50% to 80% throughout the year but it is possible to fluctuate depending on external conditions and even increase these percentages if our installation has batteries or storage systems. 

On the other hand, when calculating the cost-effectiveness of these projects, we must bear in mind that the price of solar panels has dropped considerably in recent years, so if we find that photovoltaic installations are getting cheaper while electricity is constantly getting more expensive, there is little doubt: the use of photovoltaic panels is completely cost-effective and the savings they provide us with have multiplied in recent years. 

Now, we can say without a doubt that we are in the ideal scenario to place a bet on renewables, and that going solar is now more cost-effective than ever – the investment can amortize in around five or six years. 

If you are considering a photovoltaic installation with LRP Energy, we advise you to take into account that the process of installing, legalizing and commissioning solar installations requires an estimated time of five to seven weeks from the start of the project. Especially, if we are talking about the legalization and commissioning of solar installations for self-consumption, there are stages requiring the intervention of the public administration that are difficult to speed up. 

Therefore, if you want to make the most of your photovoltaic installation during the coldest periods, when we are at home using the most electricity, do not hesitate to start the project now to reduce your monthly bill this winter. 

Request a free survey with us now and find out if solar power is cost-effective for your home.

The complex and turbulent situation we are currently experiencing in the energy market, the continuous increases in electricity prices and the depletion of conventional fossil fuels, such as gas, oil and coal, are making us rethink the current energy consumption model. 

For this reason, energy efficiency has become the priority for governments, especially with a view to decarbonization by 2050; but not everyone is clear about what this concept consists of. 

In this article we tell you everything you need to know about energy efficiency. 

The concept of energy efficiency

This concept refers to the ability to obtain the best results in any activity using the least possible amount of energy resources. Thanks to such a concept, we can reduce the consumption of any type of energy and the possible environmental impact associated with it. This term is applied from the generation of such energy to its final consumption. 

Energy efficiency seeks to maintain the same performance of our activity, but incorporating a series of sustainable management models, reasonable habits and investments as well as technological innovation. 

In a country or territory having an adequate level of energy efficiency it is possible, for example, to increase the security that there will be sufficient energy supply for the entire population. In our home the concept also provides numerous benefits since, according to the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), it allows us both to reduce our electricity bill in a long term and to reduce the chance of a blackout – a situation that can lead to the breakdown of our electronic devices or other household appliances. 

This is the reason why energy efficiency has become a priority on the agendas of governments around the world, due to the limited nature of traditional energy sources, their ever-increasing prices and the dependence on the foreign markets, in addition to their significantly negative impact on the environment and the ecosystem. 

Many production companies and public administrations are currently implementing various measures and initiatives to promote renewable energy and sustainability, in such a way that they serve as a guide to energy savings and, therefore, contribute to making the planet more sustainable. One example is European Directive 2010/31/EU, which requires new houses to implement various measures to reduce energy consumption and make them more sustainable.

Other objectives related to energy efficiency set by The European Union for 2030, and included in The Green Pact, are: 

• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared to 1990.
• Achieving a 42% share of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydrogen. 
• An overall improvement of 36% to 39% in energy efficiency.

How is energy efficiency calculated?

One of the main standards for measuring and calculating energy efficiency is ISO 50001, although it rivals in popularity with the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP). 

Estos, y otros sistemas, se encargan de estimar principalmente la eficiencia en el uso de la energía de acuerdo a la productividad, es decir, están creadas sobre todo para empresas, y en el caso de los hogares esto se calcula en base al óptimo funcionamiento de equipos e instalaciones comparados con un bajo consumo, lo que se traduce, finalmente, en un ahorro en el pago de las facturas de los proveedores de energía. 

These, and other systems, are mainly responsible for estimating the efficiency of energy consumption related to productivity, i.e. they are created mainly for companies, and in the case of households the calculation is based on the optimal operation of equipment and facilities compared to low consumption, which ultimately leads to savings on the bills from energy suppliers. 

This means, in order to find out whether a house is energy efficient, different indicators that measure energy consumption over a given period of time have to be taken into consideration. Energy efficiency is closely linked to energy intensity but in an inversely proportional way: the more energy intensity we use in our home, the less energy efficiency we are carrying out. 

The benefits of energy efficiency in houses 

If helping to improve the planet or lowering our electricity bill by up to 40% were not enough benefits, opting for an energy efficiency strategy in a house can provide families with a series of advantages, such as less noise in the rooms, thanks to the fact that windows can be closed and the need to use air conditioners can be reduced; better habitable conditions of the building, with less temperature fluctuations all year round; or enjoying cleaner cities, since there are buildings currently remaining the major sources of pollution. 

To make our home efficient it is necessary to implement a series of measures and routines that are within everyone’s reach in reality. One of them is to achieve a correct air conditioning thanks to the use of mechanical ventilation systems of double flow, which besides supposing a minor economic cost also contributes to our well-being and health, eliminating the stale air and introducing air from the outside, previously filtered. 

Another of the key elements is to bet for an optimal consumption of our electrical appliances, favoring the purchase of electrical appliances with label A+, A++ or A+++. An easy example is energy-saving light bulbs, which may be a higher initial investment, their life can be tripled, so that it means considerable savings on every field in the long term. 

If we are talking about more structural elements of the house, opting for watertight and resistant windows and doors greatly improves the air conditioning, as well as walls built with robust elements, since they help to reduce the heat escaping in winter. On the other hand, awnings or insulating roof coverings also help to keep the indoor temperature stable. 

In addition to water heating, implement condensing boilers, which involve significant investment at the beginning, ensure greater efficiency in the long term, which means energy and economic savings. 

If you want to go for energy efficiency in your home and disengage from fossil fuels, LRP Energy helps you in the process towards renewable energy solutions. 

Ask for your free study with one of our Energy Advisors now and check the profitability of a photovoltaic installation for your home.

Go solar now!

1. Solar energy is free electricity from the Sun!

Energy from the Sun equals free electricity for your home. With your own solar panels, you save from day one. The lifetime of solar panels is estimated at about 30 years, but the investment pays for itself when you connect the installation to the power grid. Your electricity bills are immediately reduced to a minimum. You needn’t fear the constantly rising electricity prices in our country.

 

2. Photovoltaics means independence from the public power suppliers!

You do not have to be afraid of the constantly rising prices of electricity in our country with a home photovoltaic installation, because your home is independent of the energy market and changing prices.

3. Photovoltaics equals ecology

Photovoltaics is green energy, without the emission of pollutants and harmful substances. With a home solar panels installation you have a guarantee that you do not harm yourself and others. Thanks to you, tons of CO2 does not get emitted into the atmosphere.

4. Solar panels are maintenance-free

You invest in solar panels. The installation is mounted on the roof of your house or in your garden by qualified installers and connected to the grid. You do not have to do anything to make it work. Solar panels are engineered to operate flawlessly in real-world environments. You can sit comfortably in your armchair and check using the application on your phone how much power it has already produced.

5. Photovoltaics is energy security

With solar panels, you gain independence from public energy suppliers and do not have to worry about constantly rising electricity prices. But that is not all! You also contribute to the energy security of your country. Prosumers produce electricity, the surpluses of which go to the national grid. In this way, they create a dispersed power plant.

Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de España (REE) has reported that in March solar production reached 1,049 TWh. This is 29.1 percent more than the year before.

This is Spain’s record in solar energy production on a monthly basis so far. On March 29, 2020, at 12:09 a.m., solar energy covered 25.6 percent of the energy demand. Developers are optimistic about the upcoming summer and the results in PV production.

The record was additionally influenced by over 4 GW of installed capacity in solar power plants in 2019. Currently, Spain has about 8 871 MW installed in solar power plants. The graph below shows the evolution of solar power installations between 2010 and 2019.

The REE operator also presented in the graph the level of solar energy production (GWh) between 2018 and 2020. 

This is very good news for the RES sector, including solar power. Recently the sector has been struggling with a bottleneck in the supply of components and equipment for power plants. Unfortunately, Spain, like many other countries, has been confronted with the closure of factories in the face of the coronavirus epidemic.