“We have two lines of subsidies from the European Union's recovery funds, 80 million for neighborhood communities and 70 million for industry that cover up to 80% of the installation cost” of solar panels, Valbuena explained in an interview with Radio Lanzarote.
The community subsidy for groups of neighbors, which can be requested until April 11, can be both “in a building” and for “neighbors who live within a radius of two kilometers and agree to share the energy production by placing solar panels that they share among themselves”, Valbuena explained in detail.
The counselor stated that the energy communities “are perfectly regulated, there are companies that are dedicated to advising and the important thing about this extraordinary aid is that the amortization, the time in which you recover the investment, that 20%, with the savings in electricity costs, is very fast”. It is enough to have “an installer who makes you the project to install the plate and little else”, he concluded.
Valbuena stressed that “it is very important that people take advantage of this subsidy, which will not be reopened”. He also explained that there are several ways to do it. “Some city councils, and the Cabildo of Gran Canaria is also doing it”.
Energy communities “allow democratizing energy because I may not have enough roof to put solar panels, but maybe my neighbor does, which means “a benefit for everyone, especially because we stop depending on fossil fuels”.
The other line of subsidies, of more than 70 million euros, is for industrial estates. “In the Canary Islands, the industry has characteristics that make them not very demanding of electricity and have large roofs, so different companies can agree to form an energy community, which will be a competitive advantage for any activity.
