Solar PV capacity Spain 2023, by region

In 2023, Extremadura and Castile-La Mancha were the Spanish regions with the largest solar photovoltaic capacity. Both autonomous communities had over six gigawatts of solar PV installed, which constitutes a share of almost 50 percent of the total photovoltaic capacity available in the country. Both are large regions with a Mediterranean climate, and this combination of space and sunny weather makes these two regions ideal for solar power generation.

Solar energy growth in Spain

Solar PV is the fastest-growing energy source in Spain. After almost a decade of stagnation, the sector started growing rapidly in 2019, when the existing capacity almost doubled. This trend continued between 2020 and 2023, when the total PV capacity installed in the country rose to over 25.5 gigawatts, and it is expected to continue growing in the next few years. In 2023, the generation of photovoltaic power accounted for around 14 percent of the electricity mix, four percentage points more than in the previous year.

Self-consumption of PV energy

Self-consumption of solar photovoltaic energy has also registered record-breaking values in recent years. During 2022, roughly 2.5 gigawatts of new PV capacity for self-consumption were installed across Spain. In total, the cumulative capacity installed in the country rose to roughly 5.3 gigawatts . This rapid growth has been possible thanks to the decrease in price of solar photovoltaic systems, and the changes in legislation introduced in 2018 and 2019, in which the administrative and economic barriers associated with the installation of solar panels for self-consumption were significantly reduced.