“With a solar community you can save up to 30% of consumption”

The Iberdrola company has recently launched the first solar community in the Madrid town of Colmenar Viejo, a formula of bringing the possibility of consuming renewable energy to the neighbors, in this case photovoltaic, and saving in its electricity bill.

We take this new installation as an example to learn more about this type of solar self -consumption installation, who can place it in your building or ship and who can opt for this renewable energy.

Okgreen: What is a solar community?

Rafael Gajate: A solar community is a new energy, collaborative and local model that enables solar self -consumption to two thirds of the population that currently lives in Spain in buildings in height and that mainly consists of two parts.

On the one hand, we have the solar host, which is what we call the owner of the building on which we carry out the photovoltaic installation. That is, the solar host yields its cover to perform a photovoltaic installation.

On the other hand, we have the neighboring solar, which is the participant of a solar community, which, if it is less than two kilometers from a solar community, can access 100% renewable and sustainable energy produced on the cover of the solar host.

Q.: Recently, you have launched a solar community of Iberdrola in the Madrid town of Colmenar Viejo. How is this installation? Where is it located?

R.: This installation is located in the La Mina Industrial estate, which is very close to the urban nucleus and, therefore, practically all the 50,000 inhabitants living in Colmenar Viejo can access up to 100% renewable energy.

In the end, it is an installation of 66 kilowatts peak that can provide solar self -consumption to more than 100 families and that will allow to reduce tons of CO₂ in the next 30 years in 550.

In addition, it is located on an industrial ship, but, these types of projects, apart from industrial ships, can be carried out in another typology of buildings deployed throughout Spain. For example, they could be sports center, schools, parishes, any type of building that meets the safety and economic technicians that require this type of facilities.

Q.: What requirements are necessary to be able to place this system?

R.: It cannot be installed anywhere. They have to gather security conditions. The first thing that the cover meets the safety requirements that allow this project and then, optimal radiation conditions. That is, there are a few hours of solar radiation with an optimal inclination that allows the neighbors to save through this solution.

Finally, there are needed to exist nearby population nuclei because, in the end, what we want is to bring self -consumption to homes that live in height and that, due to a regulatory issue, it is necessary that these families be less than two kilometers from the photovoltaic installation.

Q.: How does it arise to put a cover of this type of installation? The proposal starts from the company … the owner asks for. How does the system work in that regard?

R.: This type of interlocution can be bidirectional in both roads: the company can well propose or the facilities owners are approaching to learn more about the project.

In the end, even if it is a novel project, since it is increasingly known, in this case of the solar community of Colmenar Viejo, it was the owner of this ship, this installation, who approached through the usual channels to us because he was interested in carrying out this project.

It is a solution that we have hung on our usual communication routes, such as the website, also at the points of attention such as the one we have in Colmenar Viejo, which can inform about this solution.

It depends on the circumstances, because sometimes we approach from the company to publicize this solution so novel and beneficial for both the owner and the families.

On other occasions they are the owners of these facilities, such as schools through social and sustainable projects that lead from the direction of these training nuclei, parishes or ships, which are in touch with us directly and evaluate the possibility of carrying out this project as long as it is beneficial for both families and for these owners.

Q.: The cover owner also has benefits to have it …

R.: Yes of course. In the end, the owner of the roof obtains, mainly, three benefits. On the one hand, he gets a rental fee for giving that space. That is, in the end he is giving us the space to the company and for that assignment he receives an annual canon in the form of rent.

On the other hand, it obtains up to 25% of the energy generated by this photovoltaic installation, an intangible that is increasingly a tangible because in the end it helps to generate 100% sustainable, renewable energy, also generating neighborhood and providing clean energy to its neighbors.

Q.: Of course and also reducing its own carbon footprint. Let’s talk about people who are part of this solar community in Colmenar Viejo. How do you find out what this option exists? How does it work for the outside?

R.: LAs families can find out through different roads. Normally, we announce this solution through the press or radio so that family members know that they can access this self -consumption solution without the need for any installation or investment in their homes.

They also have at their disposal the website where you can see all the solar communities that exist and, also, even approach the point of attention that we have in the center of Colmenar Viejo and learn more about this option.

Q.: Who can take advantage of this type of facilities?

R.: As I have been commenting on, it is a regulatory requirement that was initially 500 meters and subsequently, due to the potential that is wanted to give these distributed generation solutions, it is two kilometers.

Therefore, all neighbors who are less than two kilometers from this photovoltaic installation, in this case in the La Mina polygon, can access this solution without the need for investment installation in their home and with a guaranteed savings.

Q.: What savings on the light invoice can the neighbors who opt for the option of this solar community?

R.: It all depends on the consumption pattern. Obviously, they will obtain greater savings the more consumption they have in the hours of solar radiation for obvious reasons, because they will have to stop buying that energy from the network. But we are talking about savings of up to 30% of consumption.

Q.: As we see, it is a renewable energy option that is gradually spreading. Where are there more solar communities?

R.: Iberdrola has solar communities throughout Spain. We are around 1,000 solar communities throughout the Peninsula and Islands.

The areas where there are more solar communities is in those in which there are more areas of solar radiation and more than concentrated population centers. Therefore, because Madrid is one of the leading solar communities in this typology of self -consumption with more than 65 solar communities.

It is a solution that we are expanding because we want to provide this possibility to 66% of the population that lives in height buildings so that they can access self -consumption without the need to carry out any installation or investment in its roof.

Q.: What future do you see from Iberdrola to this renewable energy option in the future?

R.: We are firmly betting on this type of solution. We consider that all self -consumption solutions are mature in the market so far, because the foot on foot knows the typical facilities of individual self -consumption, where there are still things to be done, but it is already a more mature market.

But we do believe that this solution reaches a large part of the population that does not have the possibility of making self -consumption, such as families living in buildings in height.

Therefore, the commitment of the company and the sector is total for this solution, so that our goal is that there is no home, a family throughout Spain that wants to access self -consumption to bet on this type of sustainable and 100% renewable solution.