Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Throughout the week, activities and workshops have been programmed to raise awareness of a new energy model that is clean, sustainable, decarbonised, distributed and democratic.

Barcelona is joining celebrations of the European Sustainable Energy Week, which takes place from 25 to 29 October, under the theme ‘Towards 2030: Reshaping the European energy system’. The aim of this initiative is to raise public awareness through actions and activities related to energy efficiency, renewable energies and the key role the public plays in the energy transition.

During the week, you can Xarxa d’Equipaments Ambientals de Barcelona (XEAB) fa una proposta d’activitats i tallers per avançar cap a un nou model energètic net, sostenible, descarbonitzat, distribuït i democràtic. Totes les consult the activities on the website.

Barcelona’s energy transition continues to advance

During 2021, the city has taken a step forward in increasing solar energy generation by planning 86 new installations to add to the 134 existing ones on public buildings and facilities, façades, party and vertical walls and shading roofs in public areas.The new installations will increase photovoltaic power output by 3.52 MWp to 7.2 MWp, cutting tonnes of CO2 equivalent (tCO2-eq) by 3,192 each year.

Barcelona is also investing in cold and heat networks, marking a paradigm shift toward the new reality of more sustainable energy in cities, which increasingly need to take the lead not just as consumers but also as producers and managers of their own resources, using local energy sources, waste recovery, renewable sources and waste-to-energy. In addition, for these kinds of infrastructure, proximity between the energy generation source and consumption centres represents a major advantage in planning energy self-sufficiency in urban spaces.

In this context, Barcelona City Council, together with the energy partner Districlima, have promoted a third high-efficiency cold generation plant in the Fòrum and 22@ area, with an investment of 43.6 million euros which will double the number of buildings connected to this technology in the next 10 years.

These initiatives will help meet the commitments set out in the Barcelona Climate Emergency Declaration for the city’s energy transition and which, together with the connection to Barcelona Energia, the metropolitan public operator, has helped save the city 6 million euros since 2018.