Project type       Renewable energy

Partnership    AMB and municipalities involved where the 42 facilities are installed: Gavà, Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Sant Boi de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Hospitalet de Llobregat, Castelldefels, Montgat, Sant Climent de Llobregat, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Cugat del Vallès, Santa Coloma de Cervelló, Sant Adrià del Besòs, Esplugues de Llobregat, Montcada i Reixac, Badalona, Castellbisbal, Corbera de Llobregat, Pallejà, Ripollet, Tiana, Barberà del Vallès, Molins de Rei, Montgat, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Sant Climent de Llobregat, Barberà del Vallès, Sant Just Desvern, Castellbisbal, Viladecans.

From AMB: Gil Lladó (energy and climate change technician), David Guerrero (energy and climate change technician) and Ana Romero (head of the Sustainability and Education Service)

Assistance              Executed: AECA, ETRA, COMSA, ARKENOVA, Pending or ongoing 2024-2025: Ferrovial Construcción, UTE Rubatec – Adymus, Rubatec, Energroup, Greening, Azimut, Impulso solar, Doica, Sulmag, PGIç

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Funding             AMB – 899.000 € first phase
AMB – 110 million € from 2023
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) – 6€ M

Start date             2018- ongoing

Website               (Catalan press released): https://www.amb.cat/web/amb/actualitat/sala-de-premsa/notes-de-premsa/detall/-/notapremsa/l-energia-fotovoltaica-en-equipaments-i-espais-publics-de-la-metropolis/16679182/11696

One of the main lines of action of the AMB in the field of energy is the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roofs of different public buildings in the metropolitan municipalities, since solar energy is the source with the most potential and profitability in our territory. These efforts aim to achieve a new energy model while promoting a higher use of renewable energies and self-consumption.

Installation projects for this technology have been assigned to schools, sports centers, hospitals and other facilities. At the beginning of the project, in 2019, this was the first phase completed with 8 equipped facilities; nowadays there are a total of 42 installations that generate a total power of 1,87 MWp thanks to a total budget of 2,7 M Eur for the whole installations (photovoltaic roofs and photovoltaic stations).

The advantages of solar self-consumption are numerous: it will save importing and transporting energy from fossil fuels or nuclear energy and it will be exchanged for clean and local energy.

Financing news in 2024 and 2025

The 146 new facilities will be deployed during 2024 through the Environmental Sustainability Plan (PSA) of the AMB, European funds and the ESCO(*) public-private collaboration formula.

The PSA is an investment plan of 110 million euros that seeks to promote shared development projects between the municipalities and the AMB, to strengthen metropolitan policies and adapt them to the requirements arising from covid-19. From the PSA, the municipalities have selected the projects based on a catalogue of environmental actions with criteria that contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, and taking into account the current climate emergency situation. The installations financed with PSA funds represent a power of 5.7 MWp in 18 metropolitan municipalities with a total investment of 8,34€ M.

Secondly, the AMB received resources from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), deployed in different phases, and distributed them among the metropolitan municipalities. These resources will allow for a power of 4.4 MWp by mid-2025 with an executed investment of 6€ M.

Renewable generation, innovative formulas.
In 2023 a type of public contract aimed at energy service companies interested in investing in photovoltaic installations began to be promoted. These companies recover the investment through the savings they generate with self-consumption of municipal supplies. Within this modality, called ESCO, once the amortization period of the investment has passed (about 15 years), these facilities return to the City Council, which from then on will enjoy all the savings generated and owned by the facility.

ESCO financing options

The major advantages of the ESCO* modality are:

– The achievement of the climate objectives of each municipality from the beginning, without investment or tenders.
– Availability of capital for investment in the municipality in cases that do not have a direct economic return, such as social services, cultural promotion, public space, etc.
– Economies of scale and simplification of administrative and technical management.
– Unique model that allows investing in photovoltaic installations on 100% of the municipal roofs of buildings with high self-consumption and profitability, such as sports centers, and reserving the own funds of the AMB and the councils for buildings with little self-consumption, such as the schools

A total of 11 metropolitan councils (Badia del Vallès ,Begues, Sant Adnreu de la Barca, Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, Castelldefels, Cervelló, Cornellà de Llobregat, Pallejà, Sant Climent de Llobregat i Sant Vicenç dels Horts) , with a total of 328.398 inhabitants, have opted for this option to finance photovoltaic installations on their equipment. The energy services contract has the advantage that the councils do not have to make any initial investment and that the awarded companies are responsible for the proper functioning of the facilities during the entire contract.

The 10.5 MWp of new investments are added to the 1.9 MWp of existing FEDER-financed facilities, and add up to a total of 12.4 MWp.

ESCO*: ESCO financing refers to financing with internal funds of the ESCO and may involve own capital or equipment lease. ESCO rarely use equity for financing, as this options limits their capability of implementing projects on a sustainable basis

Metropolitan network of ‘Photolineras’ (charging stations)

Another of the AMB’s objectives regarding the use of renewable and local energies is the establishment of the “Photolineras Laborals” (“work photo stations”). These installations are also used as photovoltaic panels to generate energy. The electricity is used to recharge plugged-in electric vehicles and, when they don’t need it – either because they are already charged or because no car is connected at the time – it can be used to power the public facility that they have next to.
In this way, no kWh of energy is lost, with the consequent financial and energy saving. This system also allows instant self-consumption, so there is no need to install storage batteries.

The name of work photo stations obeys its objective: that citizens in general can charge electric vehicles during the working day. For this reason, it is sufficient to use slow charging equipment for vehicles. In addition, most of the 9 new traffic lights that will be installed will be designed as an exchange parking service (Park&Ride), aimed at any citizen who wants to leave their electric vehicle charging while accessing Barcelona in public transport. There are currently 15 facilities of this type that are in operation:

Esplugues de Llobregat: the plates are located on the roof of the Town Hall, so that its workers can charge the vehicles at the terminal located at the foot of the street. When there is no vehicle connected, the energy is used for the building.

Sant Feliu de Llobregat: photo booth located at Rodalies train station, designed as an exchange parking service, aimed at any citizen who wants to leave their electric vehicle charging while accessing Barcelona by public transport. The surplus energy is used by the Municipal Home for the Elderly which is right next door.

Gavà / Viladecans: the installation is in the area of the AMB Laboratory, located at the Wastewater Treatment Plant between these two municipalities. It provides battery charging for its workers’ cars, while also supplying the facility itself.

Throughout the metropolitan area there are a total of 192 photovoltaic installations, both public and private, with 13 MWp of power.

– During 2024 and the first half of 2025, the AMB plans to build 146 new photovoltaic installations

– 100% of the metropolitan municipalities (Barcelona has its own investment from the City Council) will have one of these facilities

– The new installations will produce an amount of energy equivalent to the consumption of more than 4,200 homes (10.5 MWp power in total)

– This will represent 4.1% of the energy consumption of all municipal supplies

– Reduce carbon emissions from electricity production by 25%

– The two types of facilities that will be built are already in operation in several metropolitan municipalities: photovoltaic roofs (installations of solar panels on the roofs of public facilities, to supply part of the building’s consumption) and photolines (charging points for electric vehicles that generate energy using solar panels).

– This new wave of unprecedented installations will multiply the photovoltaic energy generated in this type of installations by six compared to 2023

– The 146 installations promoted by the AMB in the period 2024-2025 will mean an increase of almost 8% of the power currently installed.

– With the 2030 horizon, 480 new solar panel installations are planned in the territory, which will be added to the public installations that currently already use renewable energies to supply themselves, and which have a combined power of 2,400 kWp

– The average power of metropolitan installations will be approximately 70 kWp, well above the current average power, in which only 5.2% of installations have powers greater than 25 kWp.

– Thus, by 2030, the deployment of a large network of occupational photolines will be carried out, with up to 100 stations throughout the metropolitan area, and 380 solar roof installations