Spain pays consumers as renewable power creates electricity surplus

In Spain, residents are now being paid for their electricity consumption

Spain had been developing renewable electricity so aggressively that it eventually found itself with a surplus.

Bloomberg reported this.

According to the agency, over the past 15 years, Spain has become one of the fastest-growing renewable energy markets in Europe—with $80 billion invested in the sector. However, this surge in investment has resulted in a massive surplus of electricity, which has become a problem for power generators and investors.

For example, in 2025, so many solar power plants were installed that they oversaturated the power grid, causing prices to plummet well below zero during peak hours as producers slashed rates to offload excess electricity. In just six months since the start of the year, the country has already broken its annual record for the number of hours during which producers have effectively had to pay consumers for their electricity usage. This problem is being observed across Europe, but it is most acute in Spain, where solar power surpassed wind power last year to become the largest source of electricity.

It is noted that for many Spanish consumers, the surplus supply is a blessing. This year, their electricity rates were among the lowest in Europe—roughly half those in Germany. Spanish authorities have described the situation as “transitional” and plan to invest about 30 billion euros in modernizing the power grid by 2030.

Investors had assumed that the new solar capacity would be absorbed by batteries, grid upgrades, and growing demand. Instead, the capacity of solar power plants grew much faster than the infrastructure needed to store and distribute the electricity they generate.

It was previously reported that Moldova is also already experiencing a systemic crisis in the renewable energy sector. The main problems are a massive imbalance (an energy surplus during the day and a shortage in the morning and evening) as well as difficulties with exports. The domestic market is unable to absorb the entire volume, exports to Ukraine are virtually blocked, and Romania requires an EU-recognized guarantee of origin.

So it is possible that consumers in our country will soon begin receiving negative bills for the electricity they have consumed.