The Barcelona Energy Agency, the Institut Quatre Cantons, the parents’ association from the latter and the Poblenou local residents’ association have launched an energy community in the neighbourhood which will generate energy from solar panelling at their facilities. The initiative comes in addition to other similar energy communities in the city.
The Poblenou energy community will provide power for two schools, the Institute Quatre Cantons and the Institut Maria Espinalt, along with the Can Felipa community centre, the Offices for Social Rights and the building at the Llevant Fire Station. The Institut Quatre Cantons already has a rooftop solar panelling installation generating 58 kWp, which will be the initial power generating point from which the community will expand and grow.
Reducing energy consumption to boost self-consumption
In addition, the project expects to share some 30% of the power generated by local people living with 500 metres of the school. Participation is voluntary and in this first stage the project entails no costs as it is a pilot project being conducted under a collaboration protocol.
Those wishing to take part must be affiliated to the municipal energy distributor Barcelona Energia, and registration gives them the right to 500W of self-generated energy for at least a year. Thirty local people have signed up to the initiative so far and can leave the community at any time they wish.
Once the community is formally set up, energy generation and the number of participants is expected to grow in terms of public and private facilities alike.
The project comes in addition to other energy community models such as the ones in La Bordeta and Can Girapells, the promotion of self-consumption installations in residential buildings with the initiative Moment Solar and the solar pergolas located in public spaces.
The goal of all these projects is to increase the use of power generated through renewable energy in the city, the most efficient and cost-effective way to become carbon neutral by 2050.