An EU-funded project is helping one of Spain’s poorest neighbourhoods cope with energy costs and the endemic problems of poverty
In Torreblanca, Seville, unity is strength when it comes to energy transition. Five European regions, including Andalusia, have taken part in POWERTY, a project under the Interreg Europe initiative that supplies energy from renewable sources to the most vulnerable communities. But POWERTY goes further, according to Joaquín Villar, Head of Internationalisation, Innovation & Singular Projects, at the Andalusian Energy Agency.
“Energy poverty is a problem that affects 50 million people in Europe,” he explains. “Torreblanca’s motto is not to be known for poverty, for theft, for everything else, but to be known as a district that is committed to renewable energy, to energy communities, in other words, we give power to the municipality.”
Empowering poor regions
Torreblanca is the the fourth poorest district in Spain. Around 18,000 people live here. The Torreblanca Ilumina association had set itself the challenge of creating an energy and education community by 2020, following a donation of solar panels. Some of these have now been installed in two of the district’s public schools. POWERTY provided the resources and the management, and also hope, says the association’s Macarena Luque Guillén: “With the roofs of the two primary schools that the town council has allowed us to use. The idea is that these two roofs can be filled with photovoltaic panels so that many more families in the neighbourhood can benefit.”
For the pilot project, just a few solar panels were installed in two state schools.** (Principe de Asturias and Vélez de Guevara.) Together they produce 15 kilowatts of energy, which the primary school pupils use at home and in class. Marcos Sánchez López, Head Teacher, of Vélez de Guevara primary school says the panels do more than provide energy: “These solar panels that we’ve installed here have been a motivating factor for us to be able to work in class: social awareness in relation to energy saving and the fight against climate change.”
The total budget for POWERTY is 1,335,118 euros, 83.3% of which has been provided by the European Union’s Cohesion Policy. The remainder (16.7%) was provided by the Andalusian Energy Agency and other partners. (Source: Andalusian Energy Agency)
Easing the cost of living burden
In Torreblanca, 14 families are benefiting, including Maria Ángeles García Arévalo, who is part of the energy community. She can see the difference on her electricity bills.
María Ángeles says it’s eased the cost of living: “Often, the electricity bill goes up because you’ve had to turn on the air conditioning at night for more than a month and you can’t pay. That’s where energy poverty lies. Once the solar panels started working, we noticed that the electricity bill had dropped a lot.”
As part of POWERTY, more than fifty good practices have been shared between different regions. The project has won several international awards.
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