Yesterday, Adeje inaugurated the largest energy community in the Canary Islands in the Las Torres area, a pioneering initiative that provides sustainable electricity to more than 100 families and several local businesses. This project, framed in the Adeje Verde strategy promoted by the city council, represents progress in promoting energy self-consumption and sustainability in the municipality.
It is estimated that this self-consumption network can generate savings of up to 3.4 million euros per year. Furthermore, thanks to a generation capacity of 160 MWh per year, the power plant can avoid the emission of about 10,000 tons of CO2 annually, which translates into an amount equivalent to the effect of planting between 300 and 800 trees, depending on the quantities. that are managed.
Currently, this energy community is already supplying 103 families, as well as a pharmacy and a restaurant, allowing participants to reduce their monthly electricity costs.
ADDITIONAL SAVINGS
This initiative also extends to municipal buildings, such as the municipal music school and the local Police building, facilities in which the council plans to obtain additional savings.
Although the current total annual savings for all participants amounts to around 16,000 euros, those responsible for the project are confident that, with its expansion, these economic benefits will increase exponentially, strengthening the economy of local families and businesses in the long term. The mayor of Adeje, José Miguel Rodríguez Fraga, highlighted yesterday that the Adeje Verde project is not limited to providing immediate economic benefits, but “has a positive impact on the sustainability of the municipality.”
The facility has been designed with an energy payback of less than one year, which means that the energy used in its construction, installation and eventual dismantling will be compensated in that time. Thus, it is expected that the plant can operate efficiently for at least 30 additional years.
weather station
The technical manager of the project, Ricardo Guerrero, explained that the photovoltaic plant occupies approximately 800 square meters and is located mainly on the roof of the municipal music school. In addition to generating electricity, the plant includes a weather station and monitoring cameras.
The Adeje Verde project has been possible thanks to an agreement signed in 2019 between the Adeje City Council and the University of La Laguna.
The incorporation of batteries into the network will allow the surplus energy generated to be stored, especially during the hours of maximum solar production.
This storage system optimizes the use of the electricity produced in the photovoltaic plant, which, by taking advantage of the region’s abundant solar radiation, reduces the municipality’s dependence on the Granadilla power plant and reduces its carbon footprint.
