Debt, the Spanish government taxed the sun

The country is "overpowering" because people produce electricity to the point of not buying electricity from the manufacturer. The government became a debtor and thought of proposing "taxing" the sun.

Spain is a country full of sunshine. It is no coincidence that the bull country is famous for this resource: cities like the Huelva and Seville are proud of the sun shining 3,000 hours each year. With that huge light source, Spain has actively pursued the development policy of using solar energy. Over the past ten years, the government has made significant progress in advocating solar use, becoming one of the world's leading countries in photovoltaic energy capacity (PV).

But what is too much is not necessarily good. Currently Spain is creating too much solar energy. According to government information, electricity generated exceeds 60% of demand, causing an imbalance that makes the government a "debtor" for power producers. The debt is not small, has now increased to nearly 26 billion euros ($ 34.73 billion).

So how to solve debt blocks? Of course the exorbitant tax and fine proposal. Spain is trying to narrow the scale of solar cell use - while government has encouraged and subsidized over the past decade - by applying taxes to those who use it.

Photo: Wired

The feeling of people will be likened to: Government officials are running out of ideas, one day they look up to the sky and shout: "There is a way! We will tax the sun!"

But the situation is not so simple! Thanks to solar panels, people are not only able to produce cheaper energy than buying from a power company, but also to the extent of reselling to the manufacturer. The problem arises from here, the government is trying to put an end to it: There will be a ban on the sale of excess energy.

But not yet, to tax, to determine who produced and produced to what extent. Thus the solar panels must be connected to the common electrical network. Those who are not connected to the network will be subject to a penalty of 30 million Euro (40 million USD) - millions of dollars! This is a confusing number for the average living standard.

Obviously the above figure only means "scare" people to force them to connect to the electricity network to . tax. However, this tax will make people feel that the self-production of electricity is no longer "economical" and buying electricity from existing suppliers will be much cheaper. And this is the government's goal!

It may seem ridiculous but before you shake your head in protest and think that this rule is only in Spain, look back: the same problem is simmering in Arizona, USA. The power companies here are waiting for legislation to ask people to withdraw money to buy them the amount of electricity that is abundant.

Of course, people don't like taxes, so the government called it "convenience fee" but it is essentially the same. As the debate in Arizona heats up, other states will see huge amounts of money: $ 590 million invested in businesses and households in 2012 alone.

Similarly, other countries like Germany and the US will also watch what is going to happen in Spain. This measure is inherently unsupported and many will fear that the Spanish people will protest on a large scale, simply because they will not abide by the law. Teresa Ribera, senior advisor of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), judged the law "lacking in logic" when "the state is seriously calling people against them."