/ Town Hall
Wednesday 4th May 2022
Govern and Calvià Town Hall sign the agreement for the creation of the first energy community with public participation aimed at individuals
Press release from the Regional Ministry of Energy Transition
The mayor of Calvià, Alfonso Rodríguez Badal, and the vice president and councillor for Energy Transition, Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, Juan Pedro Yllanes, signed this Monday the agreement for the creation of what will be the first renewable energy community that will benefit directly to the citizens of an entire residential area. This has been promoted by the General Directorate of Energy and Climate Change, through the Balearic Energy Institute (IBE).
The agreement signing event was also attended by the councillor for Environment, Ecological Transition and Democratic Memory, Rafel Sedano, the deputy mayor for Youth, Participation and Environment, Marga Plomer, and the councillor for the Galatzó area, Marcos Pecos, as well as the general director of Energy and Climate Change, Pep Malagrava and the managing director of the IBE, Ferran Rosa.
This energy community, promoted by the Govern's Vice Presidency, has the support of Calvià Town Hall and will be located in the Galatzó residential area, where photovoltaic panels will be installed in different areas such as the high school, school or sports centre, in addition to other residential roofs and car parks. Initial calculations indicate that more than 900 kW of power can be installed in these spaces, so that neighbourhoods can cheapen electricity bills by up to 40%, paying energy at cost price in production hours and without the need to make an initial investment. Around 80% of the residential area's consumption could be supplied with photovoltaic energy installed on the roofs, benefiting both public and private spaces.
It should be noted that the IBE will manage the entire Galatzó energy community, which will be carried out in several phases and will be able to reinvest the income to pay them. During production hours, energy could be sold for around €0.075/kwh. Savings of between 30 and 40% are estimated on users' bills, in total about 400 homes.
Vice president Yllanes has ensured that “the energy transition is an opportunity to fight against climate change and energy poverty, doing it from a socially fair perspective and ensuring that everyone can benefit from self-consumption; in addition, it must also serve for a new social model, where the collective is above the individual”.
“Energy communities are a key piece in achieving the energy model change towards a more decentralised and participatory system. For this reason, we want this type of projects to be a reference and be replicated in all types of neighbourhoods, villages and residential areas in the Balearic Islands. I want to highlight the fact that this energy community will benefit about 400 homes, which will see their electricity bills cheapened."
Yllanes recalled that “the arrival of the Next Generation funds represents a historic opportunity to change our energy model. Last Monday we presented the Energy Transition Investment Plan of the Balearic Islands, which has specific programmes to promote and finance initiatives such as this energy community. From the Balearic Islands we want to be leaders in these new forms of collective self-consumption, as we are in private self-consumption”.
For the Mayor Alfonso Rodríguez Badal, "today a first important step is taken in the municipality in terms of renewable energies with the creation of the energy community that, on the one hand, promotes a clean energy model that, in addition, will be very beneficial for the neighbours of Galatzó, since it will be accompanied by a cheapening of the electricity bill». The mayor thanked the Govern's initiative and the work that the Regional Ministry and the Town Hall's Environment department have done so that the Galatzó energy community begins to become a reality.
For his part, the general girector of Energy and Climate Change, Pep Malagrava, stressed that “The Balearic Islands have a high potential for promoting energy communities and from the administrations we must promote them to encourage citizens and companies. We hope that the Galatzó model can be extrapolated to other places on the islands and we continue to reduce energy consumption in the Balearic Islands while reducing emissions cooperatively."
It should be taken into account that the IBE is already promoting this type of projects in industrial estates. This is the case of the first two energy communities, in Sant Lluís (Menorca) and in Marratxí (Mallorca).
Mayor's statements Regional minister's statements
