Alicante
Solar panels in Alicante, from city roofs to coastal villas
In Alicante the roof decides more than the sun does. A flat city roof between taller buildings, a villa near Playa de San Juan and a shared apartment roof each need a different design. We look at yours first.
Solar in the city
Sun is not the problem here, space and shade are
Alicante gets plenty of sun. What varies from one address to the next is how much of it reaches the roof, and how much of the roof you can use. In districts such as Centro, Benalúa or San Blas, roofs are often smaller and neighbouring buildings cast shade at certain times of day. Towards Playa de San Juan, Cabo de las Huertas and Vistahermosa there are more villas, with more room and sometimes a choice of roof faces, a pergola or a carport.
So we do not start from the number of panels that fits. We map the part of the roof that gets sun through the day, note the equipment already up there, and look at your bills to see how much of the power you would use yourself.
As an estimate, a well-placed system on this coast produces roughly 1,250 to 1,550 kWh per kWp per year, east or west-facing roofs at the low end and south-facing roofs at the high end (EU PVGIS data). What your roof does depends on its angle, shade and how you use power, which is why we look first and put figures on paper after.
A flat roof is common here and usually works well with the right mounting; see solar panels on a flat roof. To check your own roof first, read how to tell if your roof is suitable.
Three typical situations
City roof, coastal villa or shared roof
Compact city roof
- Roof area
- Limited, often with equipment on it. Every usable metre counts.
- Shade
- Neighbouring buildings at certain hours. We check the whole day, not only the moment of the visit.
- Ownership and permission
- Your own roof; the town hall paperwork still applies.
- What the survey focuses on
- Usable area, shade hours, access to the roof.
Coastal villa
- Roof area
- Usually more room, sometimes several roof faces or a carport.
- Shade
- Trees and palms, less often buildings.
- Ownership and permission
- Your own; urbanisation rules may apply.
- What the survey focuses on
- Best roof face, cable route, wind near the coast.
Apartment, shared roof
- Roof area
- Shared with the other owners and their equipment.
- Shade
- Lift housings, antennas and higher blocks nearby.
- Ownership and permission
- The community of owners has to agree first.
- What the survey focuses on
- Which part of the roof, whose meter, what the community allows.
Which of these fits your home, and what it could produce, only becomes clear on site.
A customer story
What a complete installation looked like
This customer’s review does not say where the house is, so we do not present it as an Alicante project. It shows what one day of installation and the paperwork around it involved.
Panels, inverter, battery and back-up in one working day
Twelve panels, an inverter, a battery, a back-up box and the connections, fitted in one working day. The advice, the building permit and the legalisation were arranged by Joëlle.
“The administrative side (advice, building permit, legalisation and so on) was taken care of by Joëlle.”
Bernard V., Google review, translated from Dutch
For a city roof
What to have ready for an Alicante quote
- Address and who owns the roof
- Community approval, if the roof is sharedOr the date of the next owners’ meeting.
- Photos of the roofShowing neighbouring buildings and equipment.
- Roughly how much of the roof is free
- Recent electricity bills
- Anything known about the roof structureAge, repairs, leaks.
- How we can reach the roof
- What the quote should includePanels, battery, back-up, EV charger.
Around Alicante
What changes from one district to the next
Pick an area to see what usually decides the design there.
Not sure your area is covered? Send us your postcode and we will tell you.
Alicante
Questions about solar in Alicante
Sunrise Energy
More questions
Answers come from our own frequently asked questions, written by the Sunrise Energy team.
Do you install solar panels in Alicante city and Playa de San Juan?
Yes. Send us the address and we arrange a visit. For towns around Alicante, see our Costa Blanca page.
Can solar work on an apartment building with a shared roof?
It can, but the community of owners has to agree before anything is fitted, and the roof has to have usable space once lift housings and other equipment are accounted for. We can look at the roof and explain the options so you can take them to the owners’ meeting.
How is shading from neighbouring buildings assessed?
We look at where the sun goes across the roof through the day and across the seasons, not only at the shade during our visit. Panels are then placed where they get sun for longest; sometimes that means fewer panels in the right place. More in how shading and orientation affect production.
Is a flat roof suitable for solar panels?
Usually, yes. Flat roofs are common in Alicante. The panels go on a frame at an angle, fixed or weighted depending on the roof, with attention to wind and drainage. See solar panels on a flat roof.
What paperwork or community approval might be needed?
Depending on the property: a building permit or a declaration to the town hall, legalisation of the installation, registration for exporting power and often a change of energy contract. For a shared roof, the community’s agreement comes first. Joëlle arranges the paperwork. See which documents you need.
How do I request a quotation for my roof?
Use the form at the top of this page, or request a quote. We call you back, visit the property and then send a proposal for your roof, not a standard package.
Have your Alicante roof looked at
We survey first and put figures on paper after. What you see before that is an estimate, not a promise.