A holiday rental or pool villa is the best solar case on the island. Pool pumps, air-conditioning and guests run the meter hardest in daylight, in summer, exactly when Mallorca's sun is strongest, so a villa uses 45 to 60% of its own solar directly before any battery, against 35 to 40% for an ordinary home. A 10 kWp system with a 10 to 15 kWh battery typically caps the summer electricity bill that otherwise eats into rental income, and "solar-powered villa" earns its place in the listing.
The villa load profile
| Load | Summer daily energy | When |
|---|---|---|
| Pool pump (6 to 8 h) | 5 to 9 kWh | Daytime, movable |
| Air-conditioning, 3 to 5 units | 10 to 25 kWh | Afternoon and night |
| Pool heat pump (spring and autumn) | 10 to 20 kWh | Daytime, movable |
| Kitchen, laundry, hot water | 5 to 10 kWh | Spread |
| Lighting, electronics, outdoor | 2 to 4 kWh | Evening |
A four-bedroom villa with guests easily uses 40 to 60 kWh on a July day and 10 to 15 in winter. Bills of €300 to €600 a month in season are common. A 10 kWp system produces 45 to 55 kWh on a clear summer day, so the match is close.
Sizing
- 8 to 12 kWp of panels for a four-bedroom villa with a pool and air-conditioning; 12 to 15 kWp with a pool heat pump or an EV.
- 10 to 15 kWh of battery to carry the evening air-conditioning. Bigger if the villa sleeps eight or more.
- Three-phase? Many villas have three-phase supply. The inverter must match.
Use the roof mode of the solar calculator to see how much fits on your actual roof.
Where the panels go
- Flat roof: tilted frames facing south, set back from the edge for wind and sightlines.
- Tiled roof: rails and hooks on the south-facing pitch.
- Solar pergola or carport: popular where the roof is visible or the terrace needs shade anyway; it's a structure, so it needs a licence.
- Ground mount: on larger plots, behind a wall or hedge; on rustic land, a licence.
Smart loads: use it before you export it
The cheapest battery is a load you can move. A surplus-diverter or the inverter's own relays can:
- run the pool pump when the sun is out and stop it when a cloud passes;
- heat the pool with the heat pump on surplus only;
- heat water in a tank for the evening showers;
- charge an EV at the rate of the surplus.
With these in place, a villa can use 60 to 70% of its solar directly before the battery does anything.
Guests and air-conditioning
Guests leave air-conditioning on with the doors open. Solar doesn't fix that, but it caps the cost: in daylight the units run on sunshine, and a 15 kWh battery carries two or three units into the night. Thermostat limits and door sensors are the other half of the answer.
Monitoring from anywhere
Insist on an app that shows production, consumption, battery state and faults, with alerts to you and your property manager. A tripped inverter in April that nobody notices until the first guests arrive wastes two months of sun. Some apps have a guest display mode; a tablet in the hall showing live solar is a talking point.
What the owner can claim
- Residents: FACTOR pays 45% of the battery (reference €910 per kWh up to 10 kWh) and 70% of an EV charger (max €2,500) until 28 February 2027; the new 10% state income-tax deduction for 2026 installations; municipal rebates. Note the state deduction excludes systems used in an economic activity, so a villa rented as a business may not qualify; ask your gestor.
- Non-residents: municipal IBI and ICIO rebates (Calvià: 50% off IBI for three years; Palma: six years). No regional grants or Spanish income-tax deductions.
See Solar for Non-Resident Owners in Mallorca and the subsidy checker.
Return on a summer-heavy profile
A 10 kWp system with a 15 kWh battery on a Santa Ponça rental villa, €19,000 to €22,500 installed: production about 15,500 kWh a year, 70 to 75% used on site thanks to the pool and air-conditioning, savings around €2,800 to €3,000 a year. Payback about 7 years without grants; about 5.5 for a resident owner who claims FACTOR on the battery. The panels then earn for another 18 to 20 years.
Paperwork for rentals
Make sure the system is registered and the electrical certificate is on file: tourist-licence inspections and insurers can ask, and buyers' lawyers will. If the villa came with undocumented panels, see How to Legalise an Existing Solar System in Mallorca.
Working with installers remotely
Installers in our network quote from photos and the satellite view, walk the house on a video call, visit with your property manager and handle the town hall and the register. Tick "I'm not on the island right now" on the request form form and add your manager's details.
Common questions
How big a system for a rental villa with a pool?
Typically 8 to 12 kWp with a 10 to 15 kWh battery for a four-bedroom villa with a pool and air-conditioning.
Can guests see the solar production?
Yes. Most monitoring apps have a display mode; a screen in the hall showing live production is a nice touch for a 'solar villa' listing.