Torrevieja
Solar panels in Torrevieja, sized for how you use the house
Many homes in Torrevieja are not lived in all year. A system for a second home or a holiday let should be designed for that, and you should be able to follow it from wherever you are.
Between the sea and the lagoons
A house used part of the year needs a different system
Torrevieja lies between the Mediterranean and the lagoons of La Mata and Torrevieja. Along the coast, in La Mata and around Cabo Cervera, there are many apartments and holiday homes with compact roofs. In Aguas Nuevas, Los Balcones and Los Altos there are more villas, townhouses and solariums.
What matters most here is how the house is used. A home that is lived in all year, one that stands empty for months and one that is rented out through the summer each use power at different times. A bigger system is not better if little of its power is used while it is generated. For a house that is often empty, a battery rarely earns its cost back; we will tell you that before we quote one.
Near the sea, salt air and wind matter for the mounting and fixings. And because you are not always there, the system should come with monitoring you can check from your phone.
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.
Read more on coastal maintenance and protecting panels from strong winds.
Three ways of using a house
Lived in all year, empty for months, or rented out
Year-round home
- Own use of solar power
- Steady through the year.
- Monitoring
- Useful to spot problems early.
- Battery
- Worth considering if much use is in the evening.
- Figures we need
- 12 months of bills.
Second home, often empty
- Own use of solar power
- Low while empty: fridge, pool pump, alarm.
- Monitoring
- Essential: you are not there to see it.
- Battery
- Rarely worth it, unless you want back-up for power cuts.
- Figures we need
- Bills plus the months you are there.
Frequently rented
- Own use of solar power
- High in season, low outside it.
- Monitoring
- Useful to see what guests use.
- Battery
- Depends on when guests use power.
- Figures we need
- Bills plus the letting calendar.
Your real consumption decides the size. We work it out from your bills, not from a standard profile.
A customer story
An installation for owners who do not live here yet
This review does not say where the house is, so we do not present it as a Torrevieja project. It shows how we work with owners who are not in Spain full time.
Twenty panels, installed in one day
Clear communication and agreements kept, which mattered because the owners do not live in Spain permanently. Twenty panels, installed in a single day.
“Really great for us, because we do not (yet) live in Spain permanently. 20 panels, all installed in one day.”
Sander Z., Google review, translated from Dutch
For a second home
What helps us size it right
- Monthly or annual consumption in kWhFrom your bills.
- When the house is occupiedYour own stays and any lettings.
- What runs while it is emptyFridge, pool pump, alarm, irrigation.
- Photos of the roof or solarium
- Wi-Fi at the houseFor monitoring from abroad.
- How close the house is to the seaFor mounting and fixings.
- Who owns the roofAnd whether the urbanisation has to agree.
Around Torrevieja
From the promenade to the urbanisations
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.
Torrevieja
Questions about solar in Torrevieja
Sunrise Energy
More questions
Answers come from our own frequently asked questions, written by the Sunrise Energy team.
Are solar panels worth it for a holiday home that is often empty?
It depends on what the house uses while you are away and how long you stay. A smaller system can still cover the fridge, pool pump and alarm, and a lot of your use while you are there. We work it out from your bills and your calendar, and if we think it is not worth it, we say so. Our guide on solar for holiday homes in Spain goes into it.
Can I follow the system from abroad?
Yes. The inverter connects to the house’s Wi-Fi and you can see what the panels produce in an app on your phone. See monitoring your solar panels.
Does salt air affect the mounting near the coast?
It can, over time. Close to the sea we choose mounting and fixings suited to salt air and check the wind exposure. Occasional cleaning helps too. See coastal maintenance.
What do you check on a solarium roof?
Whether there is space for panels while you keep using the solarium, what the surface can take, how the panels can be fixed without causing leaks, and wind at that height.
Can a property in an urbanisation use a shared roof?
Only with the agreement of the community or urbanisation. We can visit and explain the options so it can be decided at a meeting.
How do I get a realistic estimate for seasonal use?
Send us 12 months of bills and tell us when the house is occupied. From that we estimate how much of the solar power you would use yourself. It stays an estimate: we put it in writing after the survey, never as a guarantee.
A system for the way you use your Torrevieja home
Tell us how often you are there. We size the system to that, and firm figures come after the survey.