What is Shared Self-consumption in Flats and Buildings?

Shared self-consumption in apartments and buildings consists of the collective consumption of energy by several neighbors in the same building.

Those who want to use collective self-consumption will have to place a photovoltaic installation nearby, at a maximum distance of 500 meters, which provides energy to the area.

These types of installations are typically used in blocks of buildings, although they can be used in single-family homes as well.

With this type of format, you and your neighbors can save up to 40% on your electricity bill and recover your investment in just 7 years.

Shared self-consumption

Shared self-consumption in homes and buildings has undergone a series of changes that will benefit it going forward (Royal Decree-Law 15/2018) This decree has three main points,

No to the solar tax

Simplification of the classification of self-consumption facilities.

Authorization of collective self-consumption.

The new regulations on self-consumption approved in 2019, among which the new energy self-consumption law through the current Royal Decree 244/2019 stands out, defines the new administrative, technical and economic conditions for collective self-consumption.

Now, thanks to this change, several neighbors can take advantage of the same panel, so they can save even more and reduce the initial investment and increasing the profitability of the systems

Advantages of Self-consumption 

Photovoltaic energy sources bring immense environmental benefits. They are also the most widely used for shared self-consumption in homes. It is considered a clean and inexhaustible energy source.

For each photovoltaic installation, the emission of 75,000 kilos of CO2 is reduced, thus reducing the greenhouse effect and climate change. In addition, as it does not emit noise, it does not generate noise pollution.

In Royal Decree 900/2015, collective self-consumption was banned in Spain. However, due to the fact that this country had a high number of collective buildings, the regulation of this type of energy consumption in housing has been carried out by the European Union. Today, shared self-consumption is already legal in Spain.

But, can everyone have shared self-consumption? To be able to benefit from it you will need to have at least one of these three requirements that we explain below,

Households that decide to use collective self-consumption must be connected to it within the electrical transformation. And it must always be distributed at low voltage.

The production, i.e. the electrical transformer and the self-consuming homes must be located 500 meters from the renewable energy source.

The buildings or apartments and the transformation center must have the same cadastral reference. The same what? Very easy, they all have to have the same first 14 digits of reference.

Modalities: Public network vs Indoor network.

Both methods may seem complicated to understand at first, but we will try to explain it as easily as possible. The fundamental difference between the two is who manages and controls the power source. 

The public grid is used to share the energy and this is deducted from the electricity bill. It is the only method that allows the shared self-consumption of the family home. It works through a meter that is connected between the photovoltaic source and the low voltage line. Supplying the energy through the public grid.

The direct or internal grid connection is an industrial mode. Where the consumer and the owner of the production facility must be the same company or group of companies.

The transformer is connected directly to the self-consumers, being able to count the energy or let it circulate according to their physical conditions.

Now that you know all the advantages, models and needs of shared self-consumption, enter the world and start saving not only in your pocket but also in comfort. And you will also help the environment