Municipality by municipality, we are igniting the energy transition

“When the city council gets involved, the citizens do too,” says Carol Ródenas, a resident of El Prat de Llobregat, standing under a brand-new photovoltaic pergola recently built in the town. The installation, which will also serve as a climate shelter, will generate 1 MW of energy—equivalent to the annual consumption of 300 families—for the city's water treatment facilities and for the community energy project that El Prat launched in 2022, of which Carol is a member. “It's not just about the financial savings; it's the pride of being part of this transition, of reducing emissions, of using clean energy generated right here in the municipality,” she adds. This isn't an isolated initiative: to promote the energy transition, the city council is installing photovoltaic panels on all municipal rooftops. It also has a network of shared electric vehicles to decarbonize transportation, explains Susanna Laredo, coordinator of Environmental Action, Energy, and Urban Services for the El Prat City Council.

Committing to the local energy transition

Recognizing that municipalities are key players in the fight against climate change, the Barcelona Provincial Council has made a firm commitment to accelerating the implementation of renewable energy projects in the province's towns and cities. Specifically, the Renewables 2030 program has invested €159.9 million since 2022 to promote rooftop and ground-mounted photovoltaic plants, energy communities that receive energy from these installations, biomass boilers, and public lighting renovation projects. In the municipality of Tona, for example, all 2,600 streetlights have been replaced with LED lights. Pep Valldeoriola, a technician at the Local Energy Agency of the Osona County Council, explains that consumption has been reduced by 62%, representing savings of 344,000 kWh and approximately €60,000 per year. Berta Auferil, a resident of Tona, adds an important point: "Perhaps the public doesn't see the economic return as much, but we've noticed a big difference in safety, because the light is much brighter and warmer, and also because it has been a very visible symbol of the town council's commitment to the energy transition and because we can all contribute to it individually."

Next to the municipalities

The Barcelona Provincial Council is clear that the priorities of the energy transition are reducing emissions and costs, but also strengthening the energy independence of local authorities, improving their efficiency, and democratizing energy management. They also understand the need to allocate resources accordingly, not only financial but also technical. Pep Valldeoriola summarizes this by explaining that "without the support of the Provincial Council, which provides 90% of the investment and has given us the largest grant in Tona's history, it would be impossible. But equally, if not more, important is the technical support, helping us draft the detailed project plans year after year."

Virginia Domingo, the environmental and green spaces technician from Granollers, explains that the recently built Can Cabanyes ground-mounted photovoltaic plant in the municipality will produce 4,100 kWh of clean energy annually for nearby environmental infrastructure belonging to the Besòs Tordera Consortium and the Consortium for the... Furthermore, it will feed the surplus into the grid so that the industrial sector, the public, and municipal uses can benefit. This is a great example of a circular energy economy, as Vanessa Abad, director of the treatment area at the Vallès Oriental waste treatment plant, which receives energy from the Can Cabanyes photovoltaic plant, explains: "The plant provides us with energy, and together with what we produce ourselves from the treatment of organic waste, and our own photovoltaic system, it's all part of the circular energy," she explains. In Manresa, the city council has equipped the Vell Congost sports complex with a biomass heating network, featuring two boilers fueled by wood from forest clearing. Its 1,600 kW capacity heats the city's sports facilities. Joan Collado, head of the city council's networks and smart city section, explains that this is the third such network they have implemented and that a fourth will be installed soon. They have also installed photovoltaic panels on municipal facilities. "It represents a 30% saving. But it's not just that: it's a model for the city and for society. And it's important to involve people in the project, educating them from a young age," Collado adds.