Solar panels in southern Spain: your questions answered

No. Panels make electricity from daylight, not heat. Bright sun gives the most, and they keep working on overcast days, just at a lower output. Southern Spain has plenty of light: Almería airport averages about 2,994 hours of sunshine a year (AEMET, 1981–2010).

In Almería, each kWp of panels makes about 1,400 to 1,700 kWh a year, so a 5 kWp system makes about 7,000 to 8,500 kWh. Which way your roof faces, its slope and any shade change the figure, so your survey gives the number for your own home.

Yes, but they make less. Light cloud trims the output; thick cloud and rain cut it much further. Over a year the sunny days more than make up for it, and rain rinses dust off the panels.

A little. Panels work best when they are cool, so on very hot afternoons they make slightly less than their rating. Cool, bright winter days are good solar weather. Each panel's data sheet gives the exact figure, called its temperature coefficient.

On the monitoring app. It shows what your panels are making and what your home is using, live and day by day, so you can spot a dip and run the washing machine or the pool pump when the sun is out.

It depends on four things: what you pay for electricity, how much of your solar you use at home rather than export, what your system costs, and any grant or tax break you can claim. Payback explained shows how the sum works, and the savings estimator runs it with your own bills. Your survey then gives you a written figure for your home.

Yes, and they change often, so we check what applies to your home at the survey. Almería homes: Andalucía pays 55% or more towards a home solar system that includes a battery, open until 30 September 2027, or until the €20.77m budget runs out. The 2026 income-tax break: if your system is installed and paid for in 2026, you can deduct 10% of what you pay, up to €500 (20%, up to €1,000, for a flat), or 40%, up to €3,000, with an energy certificate before the work and another after. Pay by card or transfer, not cash; your gestor confirms what you can claim. Murcia and Alicante: ask us about your town hall's IBI and ICIO discounts. More on the battery storage page.

It can, mainly through the energy certificate every seller and landlord has to show. Property value and the energy certificate explains how, and what the evidence in Spain says.

One day on site. The permits and the paperwork with your electricity company take longer, and we handle them for you.

Very little. In dusty areas such as Almería, a rinse with water a few times a year keeps them at their best. The monitoring app shows you if the output drops.

Quality panels typically carry 25 years on output and 10 to 12 years on the panel itself, and the inverters we fit come with a 10-year guarantee. The brands we fit and their exact terms: to confirm.