Photovoltaic solar energy benefits everyone, even if they don’t have solar panels installed. This is what a new study from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) has shown, highlighting that solar generation saved the Spanish electricity market 17.021 million euros between January 2025 and June 2026.
During those 18 months, the average daily market price was 60.2 euros per megawatt-hour. The report notes that, were it not for the contribution of photovoltaic solar energy, the price would have exceeded 112 euros.
The self-consumption is part of that collective benefit. UNEF attributes 2.791 million euros of the estimated saving to self-consumption, because electricity produced and consumed in homes and in businesses reduces the demand that the market has to cover.
Photovoltaic solar energy
Photovoltaic solar energy has allowed Spanish consumers to save 17.021 million euros in just 18 months, from January 2025 to June 2026, thanks to its ability to lower the price of electricity on the wholesale market. This is revealed by a new study from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), which quantifies the economic benefit of this technology for the Spanish society as a whole.
The analysis demonstrates that electricity would have been considerably more expensive without the contribution of photovoltaics. During the studied period, the average daily market price was 60.2 €/MWh, compared to 112 €/MWh that would have been reached without solar energy, representing a 46% reduction or, in other words: electricity prices would have been 86% higher if photovoltaics had not existed.
This effect benefits all consumers, from households to businesses and industry, by lowering wholesale electricity costs.
The results highlight the profitability of investing in solar energy: for every euro that Spanish society invests in photovoltaics, it saves eight euros in the price of electricity, according to the investment-to-savings ratio that this technology brings to our electrical mix.
Self-consumption also lowers electricity for everyone
One of the main conclusions of the study is that the economic benefit of photovoltaics does not come only from ground-mounted solar plants. Self-consumption by homes and businesses also helps reduce electricity costs for all Spanish consumers.
According to UNEF’s analysis, of the 17.021 million euros in estimated savings over the 18 months, 2.791 million correspond to the contribution of self-consumption, while the remaining 14.230 million are attributed to the generation of ground-mounted solar plants.
When a home or a business produces and consumes its own electricity, it reduces the amount of energy it needs to procure from the grid. This lower demand helps to contain the price of the electricity market and yields a benefit that goes beyond the individual savings of those with a self-consumption installation.
Thus, self-consumption not only reduces the bill for those who install solar panels, but also helps to lower the electricity costs for the rest of households, shops and industries.
A savings that grows in 2026
The study estimates 10.863 million euros of savings generated by photovoltaics during 2025, to which another 6.158 million euros are added during the first half of 2026.
The difference between the real price of electricity and the price that would have been recorded without photovoltaics has remained throughout all the months analyzed. In June 2026, for example, the average daily market price was 69.6 €/MWh, while without the contribution of solar plants and self-consumption it would have reached 162.7 €/MWh.
These results confirm that the deployment of photovoltaic energy is a fundamental tool to contain the cost of electricity and to improve the competitiveness of the Spanish economy.
“Photovoltaics is far more than a generation technology: it is a strategic bet for energy security and Spain’s competitiveness. We have the enormous advantage of a domestic, abundant and free resource—the sun—which allows us to produce electricity without depending on the import of fossil fuels and reduces our exposure to the volatility of international markets,” highlighted José Donoso, the general director of UNEF.
“Moreover, self-consumption is set to play a fundamental role in reindustrializing our country. It enables companies to access more competitive electricity, reduce their energy costs, and gain autonomy, creating better conditions to attract investments, develop new industrial activities, and generate employment. Betting on photovoltaics is betting on a more competitive Spain, more industrial, and with greater supply security,” he added.
