What Green Future? Spain adds solar tax, punishes the wind industry, loses “65,000 renewable jobs”

Remember, all developed countries are going Green, and Clean Energy is everywhere. It’s only (insert your country) that is falling behind.

When you hear this, think of Spain. It is so green it’s just passed a tax on solar panel generation, so solar users finally pay for grid backup. This Spanish government has been building a renewable future with so much enthusiasm that their wind industry is described as “striken” and it’s estimated that the current government there has cost “65,000 green jobs”.*

That solar tax:

“The tax will be introduced in the next six months, according to a statement from the Ministry of Industry, Energy, and Tourism. It will apply to solar power systems with a capacity of over 10 kilowatts.

The Ministry said the tax is intended to ensure that solar panel users contribute to the cost of maintaining the country’s electrical grid, as they use it as a backup supply. “

They’ve been trying to get this tax through for a long time. It’s described as unpopular by the usual suspects and, improbably, as a tax on the “Sun” (but will the sun pay, I wonder?). Supposedly, I imagine, the indignation at solar users having to pay is because it’s a human right to have access to a national grid and back up generation, and slaves should install and maintain that without being paid?

This evil government thinks businesses selling solar energy to the grid should be treated … like businesses, and worse, suffer from free market prices. Oh the horror:

“At the same time, residential customers have to pay a series of charges — dubbed a “tax on the sun” by detractors — and have to give away any power they deliver to the grid for free. Energy producers wanting to sell excess power to the grid at spot-price rates must register as a business.

Zero wind power megawatts were installed in Spain in the first half of 2015:

Madrid, 27th July 2015. The worst predictions have come true: Spain does not attract investment in new wind power capacity. In the first half of 2015, not a single megawatt has been installed in the country, leaving the total at 22,986 MW

Wind power, remember, is competitive and cost effective. I can’t think why Spanish investors have all disappeared. (Which strangely happened in Australia too. No subsidies to suck on?)

Clean Green Energy is not blooming in Spain:

“…the government, whose policies in the current legislation have led to the loss of around 65,000 renewable-energy sector jobs, has announced measures to support growth of Spain’s stricken wind industry.”

I don’t know if that 65,000 number is real or the usual exaggeration. It doesn’t really matter since green jobs produce nothing much that we can’t get cheaper and more efficiently from other sources. That’s 65,000 people freed from unproductive lives who can now work in more useful sectors.

Do I think the “solar tax” is good? Not especially. It’s better than nothing, but the government should get out of the energy market and let the free market solve the mess properly. The government’s role should be to reduce corruption and ensure a reasonably level playing field so the honest players in the free market can compete most efficiently.

Bear in mind that this Spanish government faces an election on Dec 20, and the opposition says it will repeal the “sun tax”. Any Spanish readers who want to give us more local information?

h/t to GWPF

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