A survey of more than 800 Spanish C&I PV installations following the 2019-2022 self-consumption boom found significant administrative, technical and monitoring deficiencies in all audited systems, with 13.2% of companies reporting savings well below expectations.
Spain’s photovoltaic self-consumption boom between 2019 and 2022 has had unintended consequences, including a wave of new entrants to the market that lack technical expertise and adequate operational structures. This has resulted in a significant number of installations with administrative shortcomings and construction errors.
In this context pv magazine spoke with Ignacio Ley Camarillo, operations director of Y Tú, a company specialized in the procurement, auditing and renovation of commercial and industrial (C&I) solar energy installations. He said the company has contacted more than 10,000 businesses after discovering problems in their PV systems. Preliminary data shows that 13.2% acknowledge that their installations are falling well short of the energy savings originally promised.
From a technical perspective, the scale of the problem is significant. Y Tú has assessed more than 800 installations to date and reports that it has identified at least one significant error in 100% of cases audited.
The problems fall into three main categories.
The first concerns administrative and procedural shortcomings, such as incomplete permits or poorly executed processes, resulting in installations that are not fully legalized or operate in a legal gray area.
The second concerns technical faults that affect both direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC) systems. On the DC side, problems were found with modules, strings, connectors, mounting structures and cabling. On the AC side, faults were detected in inverters, electrical panels, protection equipment and grounding systems. According to the company, these defects not only lead to a loss of performance, but also to medium and long-term electrical risks, possible voiding of the warranty and, in some cases, non-compliance with the Spanish Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulations (REBT).
The third category involves monitoring and configuration issues that limit operational visibility and leave asset owners without the tools needed to assess actual plant performance.
Image: yTú
Causes and possible solutions
Camarillo identifies two main causes: a lack of knowledge or incorrect application of regulations and administrative procedures, and the pressure to cut costs and shorten timelines due to strong market demand. The well-known ‘you get what you pay for’ principle translates in technical terms into poorly wired electrical panels, inadequate security systems, undersized conductors and defective connections. While such deficiencies may not prevent an installation from functioning initially, they can lead to premature degradation, overheating, nuisance shutdowns, and progressive failures that develop over time.
The company says these problems are likely to continue for years to come, especially in installations without proper periodic maintenance. It warns that the lack of preventive maintenance prevents the early detection of production anomalies, hotspots, insulation deterioration and non-compliance with regulations. Over time, this can result in partial or complete shutdowns and even damage to the owner’s electrical infrastructure.
Image: yTú
Y Tú’s business model focuses on conducting technical audits of PV installations, quantifying the costs of remediating identified deficiencies and, in some cases, acquiring the assets for complete renovation.
The company cites a recent case involving an industrial customer with three factories in the same province.
At one site, the AC electrical panels had to be reconfigured and main protective devices added due to non-compliance with Spanish Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulations (REBT). The DC installation also needed a complete overhaul because the cabling was installed without UV protection and the cable ducts had no covers, which led to accelerated insulation degradation in less than three years.
In another factory, the inverters had to be moved because they were installed without respecting the manufacturer’s minimum distances, thus voiding the warranty. The AC section also had to be sized due to insufficient conductor cross-section. In addition, approximately half of the installed modules were reportedly Type B units without official CE marking or documented certification of required quality controls.
In terms of transaction volume, Y Tú says it does not set a predefined limit on asset acquisitions. Instead, it conditions its growth depending on the availability of projects where it can add technical value and restore the level of profitability originally expected by the customer.
Image: yTú
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