Solar energy saved €17.021 billion for Spanish consumers between January 2025 and June 2026, according to a report by UNEF. Without this generation, the average electricity price would have been nearly double.
According to merca2.es, solar energy saved €17.021 billion in the Spanish electricity market during the 18 months from January 2025 to June 2026. This figure comes from a report by the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), which compares the actual price with what the market would have marked without photovoltaic generation.
The calculation reconstructs that counterfactual scenario hour by hour and contrasts it with the price set by the market operator OMIE. The average price was €60.2/MWh, compared to €112/MWh that would have been recorded without photovoltaics. The difference equates to a 46% reduction in the daily market price.
Of the total, €14.230 billion corresponds to ground-mounted plants and €2.791 billion to self-consumption by homes, businesses, and industrial warehouses. The savings from self-consumption not only benefit those who install the panels but also all consumers purchasing in the same market, as it reduces demand during peak hours.
Photovoltaics is much more than a technology for electricity generation: it is a strategic commitment to energy security and the competitiveness of Spain.
The savings have accelerated. Photovoltaics generated €10.863 billion in 2025 and €6.158 billion in the first half of 2026. In June 2026, the daily market averaged €69.6/MWh, while the scenario without solar would have reached €162.7/MWh.
This figure is not the amount of the bill. The household bill includes fees, charges, equipment rental, and taxes, so a drop in wholesale prices does not translate in the same proportion. In the PVPC, which follows the hourly price, consumers do capture a significant part of that drop in the energy term, while fixed-price customers benefit according to when they signed their contract.
The calculation itself has a limit: each additional megawatt puts more downward pressure on prices during hours when solar generation is already abundant, meaning the savings from each new installation are less than those from the previous one.
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