Solar panels and batteries in Portugal: a plain guide
System sizes and costs, the registration with DGEG, IVA, batteries, selling the surplus and what to ask an installer before you sign.
How home solar works here
Panels on the roof feed an inverter, which turns their power into the electricity your home uses. What you do not use goes to the grid, or into a battery if you have one. In Portugal this is called self-consumption (autoconsumo), and the installation is a UPAC.
Registration with DGEG
The paperwork depends on the installed power, and the installer usually handles it.
- Up to 700 W, with no power sent to the grid: no prior registration.
- From 700 W to 30 kW, the usual home size: a prior communication (comunicação prévia) on DGEG's platform; once submitted, the installation can go ahead.
- From 30 kW to 1 MW: prior registration and an operating certificate.
What it costs
Published figures for supply and installation, panels and inverter included:
- 1.5 kWp (about 4 panels): around €2,000 to €3,000.
- 3 kWp (about 8 panels): around €4,000 to €6,000.
- 5 kWp (about 12 panels): around €7,000 to €9,000.
- Batteries: add around €2,000 to €5,000.
One published example put the payback of a 3 kWp system, without a battery, at about 11 years. Your own figure depends on how much power you use during the day.
IVA
From July 2022 to 30 June 2025, solar panels and their installation had a reduced IVA rate of 6%. From 1 July 2025 they pay the standard rate, 23% on the mainland. Check the rate on the quote.
Selling the surplus
You can sign a contract with a company that buys the power you send to the grid. Prices are low compared with what you pay for power, so most homes size the system for their own use first. Ask your accountant how the income is taxed in your case.
Before you sign
- Ask for the expected yearly production and the savings, with the assumptions written down.
- Ask who handles the DGEG communication and the connection.
- In a flat, the roof is usually a common part: talk to the condominium administrator first.
- Ask about the guarantees on the panels, the inverter and the battery, and who services them.
- Ask whether your fuse box and earth need work first.
Frequently asked questions
Are there grants for solar panels?
Support programmes open and close. Check the Fundo Ambiental and your câmara municipal for current calls before you count on any.
Do panels work in a power cut?
Usually not: for safety, a normal grid-tied system switches off when the grid fails. Some systems with a battery can keep a few circuits on; ask for that specifically.
Can any electrician fit solar panels?
Choose an installer with solar experience who issues the paperwork for the installation and the DGEG communication. On electricians.pt you can ask for quotes for solar work specifically.