The Government of Castile-La Mancha approved a new €10.6 million funding scheme for energy communities and residents’ associations to fund the installation of Photovoltaic systems and, as a new measure, the purchase of energy storage systems. According to the regional government’s announcement, applications can only be submitted electronically.
Fixed funding limits apply: up to €80,000 may be granted per project. For each energy community (comunidades energéticas), funding of up to €300,000 is available, as a community can combine several projects. Including storage systems is intended to stabilise collective self-consumption and expand local use of self-generated energy.
Government spokesperson Esther Padilla described the decision as another step towards “socialising” energy. It builds on earlier programmes for individual self-consumption and extends them to collective models. In the regional government’s view, the measure aims to bring citizens, local authorities and smaller businesses together to cut energy costs, ease pressure on the grid and strengthen local value creation.
The funding conditions focus on solar power and storage because they can be scaled up in densely populated neighbourhoods and mixed-use buildings. More community installations on apartment buildings and municipal properties are expected. Specific deadlines and assessment criteria will be provided through the regional administration’s electronic procedure; the government notes that all applications must be submitted digitally.
Across Spain, Castile-La Mancha has expanded photovoltaic capacity in recent years. The regional government’s rationale describes making storage eligible for funding as an important lever for better matching generation with consumption and reducing peak demand. The announcement does not state whether, or to what extent, the new approach replaces or supplements existing support programmes; the key points are the stated funding limits and the restriction to photovoltaic and storage systems.
The details on funding, target groups, funding limits and the application process come from the official announcement by the Government of Castilla-La Mancha. Political assessments—such as those by Esther Padilla—are attributed to that source. The decision applies only to the region of Castilla-La Mancha; the announcement does not identify national requirements or EU rules as a source of funding.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).