The Balearic Government sells the first kW of green public energy to the residents of Santa Eugènia through photovoltaic panels in the Santa Eugènia municipality at cost price, prioritizing vulnerable consumers.

Thanks to the shared self-consumption project located in the CEIP Mestre Guillemet, the first of the Balearic Islands to generate clean public energy, a total of 38 homes, 3 businesses, in addition to the school itself and other municipal facilities, are already benefiting and seeing lower your electricity bill.

Adherence to this shared self-consumption is for a period of one year, extendable up to four, at which time a new call will have to be opened. It must be remembered that the installation in question has a total power of 40 kW, of which 28 are open to consumption by the citizens and companies in Santa Eugènia and the remaining 12 will be consumed by the school and other municipal agencies. As for homes, 19 kW have been distributed at 0.5 kW per home, while companies will receive a maximum of 9 kW with 3 kW per company.

Photovoltaic energy panels. Photo: Palma City Council.

This project is the first of renewable energies that the Government has launched, through the IBE, with the aim of lowering the electricity bill. Associated consumers have their fee for the installation in a similar way to a domestic self-consumption installation, and the economic consideration will be €50 per year per home and €300 per year per company, with net savings on bills of €100 and €600 per year, respectively. Likewise, it should be noted that the agility of the results will depend on each case and on the energy company that has been contracted until the moment of adhesion.

The Vice President and Minister for Energy Transition, Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, Juan Pedro Yllanes, explained that “we are democratizing energy and lowering the electricity bill, this is what this coalition government is doing. We work for the people and prioritize those who need it most. Today is a great day for this autonomous community, since we are the first in the entire State to make public access to energy possible in a clean and accessible way. Santa Eugènia and the Balearic Islands become the spearhead of the energy transition in Spain and are an example of the democratization of electricity. Energy is a basic necessity and must be in the hands of citizens”.

Shared self-consumption

Santa Eugènia is the first municipality in the Balearic Islands to launch this type of shared self-consumption project. Likewise, it is expected that projects with similar characteristics will soon come into operation in Deià, Consell, Ses Salines (Majorca), Ciutadella (Menorca) and Sant Antoni de Portmany (Eivissa). On the other hand, it is planned that by 2022 some thirty more projects will be launched.

The IBE invested €750,000 in 2021 in the first six shared self-consumption projects of photovoltaic solar energy, of medium size, which will produce a total of 460 kW. In this sense, they have been installed on top of the roofs of educational centers, car parks or solariums and the consumption of this 100% green electricity will be opened to consumers who are located within a radius of 500 meters from these facilities.