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Clean energy for EU islands
Regulatory informationRES-electricity

Net-Metering & Net-Billing

Abbreviated form of legal source(s)

  • Law 24/2013
  • RDL 15/2018
  • RD 244/2019

Description of support scheme

A Net Billing system is in place for self-consumption installations.
Self-consumption projects with surplus subject to compensation can benefit from a simplified compensation mechanism: net-billing. In every billing period, the value of the electricity consumed from the grid will be offset with the value of the surplus of electricity generated by the consumer (article 14, RD 244/20019).

Amount

The price of the energy surplus depends on the type of retailer the consumer is associated to: a “reference supplier” or a “free market retailer”. In the first case, the value of the surplus is defined by law. In the second case, the value of the surplus is agreed between the parties (article 14, RD 244/2019).
The maximum amount that can be compensated is the value of the energy taken from the grid (the energy purchased by the consumer) because the result of the compensation cannot be negative and may not offset other access fees.

Addressees

Self-consumptions project under the modality of “with surplus subject to compensation”.
This option will only be possible in cases where the unit meets certain conditions, such as: the primary energy source is of renewable origin, and the total power of the associated production installations does not exceed 100 kW. Hence, the system is designed for small renewable consumers of up to 100 kW.
There are no capacity limitations established in the regulations.
Net Billing can also be applied in collective self-consumption cases.

Procedure

According to article 14 (RD 244/2019), for the application of the simplified compensation mechanism, the consumers who have opted for this mechanism must send directly to the distribution company, or through their retailer, the “surplus compensation contract” between all the participating parties, requesting its application. This is a contract between the producer and the associated consumer under the self-consumption “with surplus” modality.
Self-consumers need a single meter at the bidirectional border point with the distribution network.

Competent authority

Supplier/retailer
MITECO

Technologies

Wind energy onshore

Eligible

Wind energy offshore
Solar energy

Eligible

Geothermal energy
Biogas
Hydro-power
Biomass