2008 was a record year for photovoltaic solar industry in Spain as far as installed power, new employments and investments are concerned. 2009 will be remembered as a excessively negative year for the same industry. In the first six months of 2009, 28.000 people have already lost their occupation and not because of the world economic crisis.

The foundation of this depressing year resides in a law made by Zapatero’s administration in 2008: namely RD 1578/2008. RD 1578/2008 replaces RD 661/2007 that had just come into force the year before by the same government. The new law changes the following:

* Introduction of a yearly quota for installed power
* Average FIT (Feed-In Tariff) lowered from .47€/kWh to .29€/kWh.

The effect has been a rush by the industry to install and sell as much as possible before its coming into effects. Between January and September 2008 2,700 MW were installed in Spain, an increment of 385% over 2007. Spain became the country with the largest PV park deployed. The state of affairs looks from top to bottom unusual for 2009. A mere 200 or 250 MW will be installed. The industry will loose one third of its 42,000 direct jobs. The entire funding will climb down from 16,000 million € to 1,600 million €.

The socialist government, once again, demonstrated absence of prudence and  scrawny planning. They bred a speculative trend by tendering munificent Feed-In Tariffs, only to hold them back simply one year afterwards; so, turning into not economically viable any investment made by operators in the business. This includes supplies, employing and educating, as well as company spreading out and establishment. The FIT established in RD 661 did not bear in mind the price of energy and added to the wide-ranging deficit of the energy industry. And the new FIT started in RD 1578 is markedly conventional and has initiated a calamity in the industry.

The charge for production of PV energy keeps decreasing lower and lower due to progresses in technology. This is more than ever exact with concentrated photovoltaics that lessen by a ong way the amount of silicon crystals required. It seems likely that in less than two to three years the photovoltaic deployed in Spain during 2008 may look obsolete and expensive.

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