Town hall: comunicació prèvia or licence
For panels on the roof of an existing home in an ordinary urban zone, Palma and most towns ask for a comunicació prèvia d'obres: you file the paperwork and can start. A licencia de obra is needed instead when the building is catalogued or in a historic centre, when structural works are involved, and on rustic land. Each town page on this site says which applies.
The Balearic energy authority
Your installer prepares a memoria técnica de diseño for systems up to 10 kW, or a project signed by an engineer above 10 kW, plus the electrical installation certificate (CIE). They file these electronically and register the system in the Balearic self-consumption register. For systems up to 15 kW on urban land with an existing supply, no separate grid access permit is needed. The distributor (e-distribución) then adapts your supply contract and your retailer starts crediting surplus.
Surplus compensation
Systems up to 100 kW can join the simplified compensation scheme: each month, your exported kWh are valued (fixed free-market offers run €0.04 to €0.06, the regulated PVPC price varies) and credited against the energy part of that month's bill. The credit can't make the bill negative or carry over.
Rustic land and the Tramuntana
Rooftop solar on an existing legal building in rustic land is normally admitted, but needs a licence. Ground-mounted systems depend on the plot's classification under the Consell de Mallorca's territorial plan; protected rustic land and the Serra de Tramuntana World Heritage area bring landscape review, where dark panels laid flush on rear roof faces are the safer design. Natural parks (Llevant, Es Trenc) add their own conditions.
Apartment buildings
Under the Horizontal Property Law, renewable installations in common elements can be approved by a simple majority (one third of owners and quotas is enough when only those in favour pay). Any owner may install an EV charger in their own space after notifying the community. See our page on community and apartment solar.
Off-grid systems
Isolated systems don't join the self-consumption register, but they're still electrical installations: the installer issues the CIE and files a memoria or project. If you're legalising an older finca system, see legalise or upgrade an existing system.
Building obligations
The Balearic climate change law (10/2019) requires solar on new buildings and large renovations over 1,000 m² and on large car parks, and requires isolated new buildings to be powered by renewables. It doesn't oblige existing homes to install.
Rules last checked October 2026.