On the first day of the 12th Solar Forum, the industry’s leading event organized by the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), key stakeholders from the public and private sectors renewed their commitment to an energy transition with renewables as its flagship. This was expressed by the Secretary of State for Energy during the opening of the event, which drew more than a thousand attendees.
In his opening remarks, Joan Groizard, Secretary of State for Energy , emphasized that Spain has a huge industrial opportunity thanks to renewable energy. “The commitment to renewable energy is a commitment to industry,” he emphasized. “Clean energy continues to attract investment. More than double the amount invested in fossil fuels worldwide. The Spanish opportunity lies on the sun. The sun allows us to attract tourism and grow crops, but it is also, and will continue to be, the tool for the future and industrialization of our country.”
In turn, UNEF President Rafael Benjumea highlighted the importance of the Solar Forum, calling it “the essential event for the sector, where the future of Spanish photovoltaics is being built.” After reviewing the challenges and opportunities that have arisen this year, he emphasized that in the sector “we have demonstrated our capacity to respond to crises, our resilience, and, above all, that we are an essential driver of industrialization for Spain’s present and future energy sector.”
“After a few years of accelerated growth, the Spanish market is entering a stabilization phase, which must translate into maturity and adaptability to capitalize on opportunities. With a net installed capacity of 7.2 GW in 2024, we were the second most important European market for photovoltaics, and since 2019 we have installed an average of 6,000 MW of ground-mounted plants annually. This demonstrates that we are an active, innovative, and resilient industry that generates value and benefits for Spanish society ,” Benjumea added.
Despite this vision of progress, Benjumea took the opportunity to address the sector’s challenges, which include a complex pricing scenario, exacerbated by zero hours, spills, and strained grids. To this end, he called for “solutions such as accelerating electricity demand in Spain or implementing auctions that provide certainty for investors, among many others.”
Many of these challenges require a push that goes beyond national borders, and that’s why the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Fair and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, sent a message to the Solar Forum attendees, highlighting the important role of solar energy in the European landscape and noting that “solar energy has made unprecedented progress. Since 2021, we have more than doubled the installed solar capacity in Europe. This growth has generated three very important benefits: decarbonization, security, and lower prices.”
However, Ribera outlined the list of obstacles to overcome, such as the deployment of electricity grids, the vulnerability of supply chains, and financing. “We must unlock the electrification of our economy. We must build industrial, employment, and economic opportunities around this new reality,” he commented in his speech.
The Spanish strategy for the ecological transition
The vision and competitiveness of Spanish photovoltaic energy depend largely on a clear strategic plan, and this topic was the focus of the first roundtable discussion of the Solar Forum, which brought together five CEOs of major companies in the sector, who offered a guide to boosting the market.
“The energy transition is at the heart of the change we need in Europe, and photovoltaics will be the centerpiece. And in this sense, we must seek greater competitiveness, because right now, energy prices on our continent are double those in the United States and China. The commitment to renewables is a commitment to security and economic development ,” said José Luis Moya, global CEO of RIC Energy.
An idea supported by Zelestra’s CEO, Luis Alvarogonzalez , who noted that “in addition to a competitive advantage, advancing in renewables will mean better geopolitical defense” and sent a message of “optimism to the sector, because the development of photovoltaic energy will continue for a long time, but we have to overcome clear obstacles, such as those posed by spills or zero hours, for which we need to accelerate storage and legal security.”
Grenergy CEO David Ruiz highlighted the current situation in the sector: “We are in a very special moment, one of great disruption and also great opportunity. The true anti-blackout shield of the 21st century will be renewable energy with storage.”
“International investors’ interest in Spain continues to rise, because they see us as a large market with significant potential to develop, for example, in hybridization models,” he added. A speech echoed by COX’s General Manager of Marketing and Distribution, Joaquín Monfort, who explained the next challenge: “There is interest in investing, there are projects under development in Spain. But we need this to be accompanied by storage and investment in the grid for them to be implemented and for demand to grow.”
The panel discussion left clear challenges, such as the one highlighted by the CEO of Total Energies Renewables, Jordi Torres , when he emphasized that “ Regulation and the market must keep pace with deployment. And for that, a proper legal and technical framework is necessary. Measures such as tenders to release captive nodes, a clear plan to increase demand, and boosting storage are essential .”
A space to build the photovoltaic future
The first day of the Solar Forum continued throughout the day addressing the future of self-consumption in Spain. Public sector officials, such as the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MITECO) and the Generalitat of Catalonia, discussed the future with industry leaders such as Sonnen Ibérica, GoodWe, and Wattkraft.
The Solar Forum will also serve as a key platform for analyzing the role of photovoltaics as a driver of industrial development in Spain. This high-level debate will bring together leading institutional experts, such as María Concepción Sánchez , Director General of Operations at Red Eléctrica, and Mercedes González , Minister of Sustainable Development at the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, along with representatives from leading companies such as Lightsource bp, Greenpower, and AEGE.
The panel discussion on the current state of the art and challenges of storage will feature broad representation from the Ministry, Recurrent Energy, and Iberdrola, and will focus on the energy policy and regulatory mechanisms necessary to ensure the system’s flexibility and security.
Alberto Nadal, Deputy Secretary of Economy for the Popular Party , will also participate on the first day of the Solar Forum. He will outline his party’s vision on energy and answer direct questions from production, storage, self-consumption, and manufacturing companies, in a disruptive intervention model that seeks to build bridges between political and corporate approaches.
Finally, the first day will be rounded out with two debate sessions: one on financing alternatives for photovoltaic projects, led by experts from BBVA and Tríodos Bank, among others; and the second on the technologies that will shape the future of solar energy , featuring the most disruptive advances in panels, trackers , and digital solutions, including a panel discussion with the finalist startups that are redefining the sector.
At the end of the first day of the Forum, during the cocktail reception, the “Solar Start-up” awards ceremony will be held, aimed at innovative new companies in the sector, and the “PHOTOvoltaica” competition, which rewards the best photo illustrating the environmental integration of solar projects. Miguel Rodrigo, director general of the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), will present the competition.
