Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

The Mechanism for Sustainable Energy in Barcelona (MES Barcelona) installs photovoltaic panels on large buildings such as Mercabarna, making it the largest rooftop photovoltaic self-consumption plant in the Iberian Peninsula

Barcelona demonstrates its commitment to renewable energy through the projects the city is involved in, such as the MES Barcelona project. This is an initiative from Barcelona City Council’s 2030 Agenda Commissioner, the aim of which is to support and accelerate the city’s energy transition alongside private investors.   The aim of the initiative is to promote green energy generation in the Catalan capital, with 8 projects currently in progress to install photovoltaic panels on large buildings.

MES Barcelona has led to public private partnership projects at the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, in the Fòrum Park, at the UNED, at the Taller Escola Barcelona, and at Mercabarna, which has become the largest rooftop photovoltaic plant for self-consumption in the Peninsula. There are currently nine similar projects in progress at four Municipal Sports Centres: CEM Nova Icària, CEM Colom, CEM Can Ricart and CEM Espanya Industrial.

Agreements with investors

To make these projects possible, the City Council has reached agreements with a number of authorised investors to set up various SPV companies (companies created to provide the investment framework for renewable energy projects). Agreements have been reached with Acelera SCR, ACSA (Sorigué), Construcciones Rubau, Atlas Energia and EIDF.

MES Barcelona at the domestic level

MES Barcelona also installs photovoltaic panels for residents’ associations. The funders of the photovoltaic installation sell the energy to the building’s owners, and at the end of the energy sale contract, ownership of the panels is transferred to the building owners at zero cost. To date, a total of 1,500 buildings have expressed an interest in the proposal, the majority of them residential buildings.

An award-winning initiative

The United Nations has recognised MES Barcelona as the most sustainable public-private partnership out of a total of 70 models nominated for this accolade.