Tenerife is at the forefront of promoting renewable energies nationally through the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energy (ITER). This was the main highlight of the national meeting of the Covenant of Mayors, which took place at the facilities of the entity under the Council in the Granadilla industrial estate. The president of the island, Rosa Davila, emphasized the importance of commitment through project planning.
The discussions of the day primarily focused on climate change adaptation, citizen engagement, sustainable tourism, energy poverty, and energy communities. The 2024 forum was held over two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Tenerife respectively.
The program was attended by Rosa Dávila; the insular directors of Medio Natural, Pedro Millán, and Waste, Alejandro Molowny, and the CEO of ITER, Begoña Ortiz, along with the mayors and councilors of the member municipalities of the Pact.
In her opening speech, Rosa Dávila stated, “The Covenant of Mayors is an essential tool for involving the people of Europe in promoting energy sustainability and its impact on the climate, which will be experienced by future generations of the planet.”
She emphasized, “The urgency of addressing the devastating effects of climate change with practical and realistic solutions becomes evident every day. In Tenerife, we are fortunate to have ITER, an internationally renowned research center in renewable energy, engineering, telecommunications, and the environment.” She concluded, “It signifies the Council’s dedication to taking climate action, protecting the natural environment, and transitioning to renewable energies.”
The Tenerife sessions addressed various topics, including climate change adaptation and citizen participation in local initiatives. Apart from hosting the event, ITER participated within the framework of the Genera project, co-financed by the LIFE program, aimed at assisting municipalities in implementing energy transition agendas, as set forth by the European Clean Energy initiative for European islands and the Covenant of Mayors.
The day began with a segment on ‘Adaptation to climate change’, followed by the presentation of the LIFE-Genera project – Energy Transition in Municipalities. The second segment examined Citizen Participation: strategies for involving citizens in local climate actions, while the third focused on Tourism Sustainability. Finally, the fourth thematic area explored evaluating energy poverty and monitoring systems.
The event concluded with a tour of the ITER facilities where attendees learned about the D-Alix data center, the supercomputer TEIDE-HPC, the Bioclimatic Houses, and the Photovoltaic Cell Characterization Laboratory, in addition to gaining insights into the real-time consumption visualization platform (NEXO). During the sessions held in Gran Canaria last Tuesday, discussions included the updates on the Covenant of Mayors for the new year and a tour of successful initiatives in various municipalities.
The Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Sustainable Energy is a European Commission program considered the world’s largest urban initiative for climate and energy.
