Facts: The deduction increased
From the turn of the year, the tax deduction for the installation of solar cells was increased from 15 to 20 percent. The deduction applies to both work and materials (but only if the material is ordered by the installer).
Maximum deduction per person and year is SEK 50,000.
It is also possible to get a deduction for systems for storage, i.e. batteries, of self-produced electricity, with 50 percent of the cost.
Source: Tax Agency
In 2022, just over 50,000 new solar cell installations were installed around the country, according to preliminary figures from Swedish Solar Energy, based on the statistics of the three largest electricity grid companies. That’s almost twice as many as in 2021. And the rise increased throughout the year. The fourth quarter was also stronger than the third quarter. That’s not usually the case.
— Installations often go down during the fourth quarter due to winter weather with snow on the roofs and such, says Anna Werner, CEO of the industry organization Swedish Solar Energy.
Calculated in installed new power connected to the electricity grid, it is about 1,000 MW, which corresponds to a nuclear power reactor, for a total of around 2,500 MW at the end of 2022. But the solar effect is not as effective over time, at night there is not much energy. Calculated in terms of energy, the sun accounts for just over one percent of Swedish electricity production in a year.
Three times more
According to the grid company’s statistics, notifications about building a solar cell plant are also increasing. And it is a sharp rise, from 36,200 in 2021 to 94,700 last year.
“There you see the will of the Swedish people right now,” says Anna Werner.
But it also means that the industry is not keeping up. There is a lack of fitters and stuff to get the panels up on the roofs where most are installed. But even the electricity grid companies can in some cases have waiting periods before they can connect the plant to the grid, according to Anna Werner.
“You can have up to a year’s waiting time,” she says.
Count home faster
Industry-leading installer Svea Solar’s CEO Erik Martinson says that the queue time is around six months, something that has increased in the last 1.5 years. There is a shortage of both fitters and materials.
But it might be worth the wait. When the electricity price has risen, the calculations have become more attractive. It is faster to calculate a facility of SEK 150,000.
“With these extreme electricity prices we’ve had, it’s been possible to build a plant in two years.” Otherwise, with slightly more normal prices, it’s around seven years, on a plant that lasts 30 years, says Erik Martinson.