Repeal of the Sun Tax Likely: Thank goodness for common sense!

My wife is Spanish and in the interests of matrimonial harmony we have a rule which is you are never allowed to say “that would never happen in……(Spain / Britain)”. As I am sure you can imagine there are times when we are both challenged by this so please forgive me if I use my blog to let off steam and to say here what I can’t say at home. The sun tax idea is, and I choose my words carefully, the sun tax is ….stupid.

This is why:

• If we don’t crack climate change then it’s the end of our civilisation. The green economy is inevitable. Either we choose it or it chooses us.
• Photovoltaic energy is clean, carbon free, silent, low maintenance, plentiful, and a gift from nature.
• The sun tax policy was that you had to donate any extra electricity to the grid for free: a huge disincentive.
• Even if you were a net contributor you would have to pay for any electricity you drew from the grid for example at night.
• You had to pay the tax even if you had your own battery storage system.
• About 40% of energy is lost in transportation. So any energy generated and consumed on site is much more efficient than any grid electricity.

Anyway is now seems likely that a new government in Spain will drop the idea:  http://cleantechnica.com/2016/03/10/parliament-spain-removes-punitive-sun-tax/

“The biggest threat to civilisation is human stupidity.” Brian Cox. Thank goodness for the prevalence of common sense.

Author: John Wolfendale

Bio: John is a founder of Eco Vida Homes and is passionate about bringing modern design and construction practices to Spain. He believes a home which is warm in winter and cool in summer is largely a matter of design and selective use of materials.  He is British and a Chartered Surveyor with over 22 years experience living and working in Spain.