BarcelonaRenewable energies consolidated their role in the Spanish economy during the 2025 financial year by reaching a total contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures an economy) of 17,501 million nominal euros, which represents 1.04% of the national economy, according to the data from the Study on the macroeconomic impact of renewable energies 2025, prepared by Deloitte. Read it all
According to the study, in real terms the contribution to the Spanish economy of these energies has grown by 7.2% since 2015. In 2025, the direct contribution of renewable energies to GDP was 9,958 million euros, 8.2% higher than in 2024, while the demand for goods and services from other activities generated an indirect contribution of 3,778 million euros more, with a growth of 4.6%.
At the same time, renewable energies have a positive impact both on household economies, with a saving on the electricity bill compared to what it would cost without this type of generation, and on companies, which gain in competitiveness.
An example of this are the calculations made by the Spanish solar photovoltaic association, Unef. According to their estimates, solar photovoltaic energy alone has allowed Spanish consumers to save 17.021 billion euros in 18 months, between January 2025 and June 2026, thanks to its capacity to reduce the price of electricity in the wholesale market.
Unef’s analysis shows that electricity would have been significantly more expensive if the contribution of photovoltaics had not been available. During the period studied, the average daily market price was 60.2 €/MWh, compared to the 112 €/MWh it would have reached without solar energy. This represents a 46% reduction in the price of electricity or, in other words, that without the contribution of photovoltaics it would have been 86% more expensive.
This effect benefits all consumers, both families and companies and industry, by reducing electricity costs in the wholesale market. According to this association, for every euro that Spanish society invests in photovoltaics, it obtains a saving of eight euros in the price of electricity, based on the relationship between investment and savings that comes with having this technology in the electricity mix.
One of the conclusions of the Unef study is that the economic benefit of photovoltaics does not come solely from ground-mounted solar plants. Self-consumption by homes and businesses also contributes to reducing the cost of electricity for all consumers. According to Unef, of the 17.021 billion euros in savings estimated over 18 months, 2.791 billion correspond to the contribution of self-consumption, while the remaining 14.230 billion are attributed to generation from ground-mounted photovoltaic plants.
Self-consumption not only benefits those who have it installed, but also all consumers, because when a home or business produces and consumes its own electricity, it reduces the amount it needs to purchase from the grid. This lower demand helps to contain the price of the electricity market and generates a benefit that goes beyond the individual savings of those who have a self-consumption installation.
According to the Deloitte study, renewables not only make a positive contribution to GDP, but also generate employment. The growth of green energy was accompanied in 2025 by a record in job creation, sustaining 140,621 jobs (90,797 direct and 49,824 indirect), 5.6% more than in 2024.
However, in a press conference, the general director of APPA Renovables –the sector’s business association–, José María González Moya, considered that in 2026 these conditions “are turning around” and these figures from last year give “an image that is not entirely real of what the sector is suffering today”.
Regarding installed renewable capacity, Spain closed the year with 104.5 gigawatts (GW) –excluding self-consumption– after incorporating 12.5 additional GW. Photovoltaics led the installations with 11.3 new GW –90% of the total added–, reaching 50.4 accumulated GW, while wind power added 1.2 GW, to stand at 33.3 GW. For its part, self-consumption added 1,214 MW and achieved an accumulated capacity of 9,590 MW.

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