A PV plant near El Realengo (Crevillent). Enercoop

Crevillent: Spain’s first solar community

A Southeastern Spanish town of 30,000 is poised to become Spain's first autonomous energy community.
A Southeastern Spanish town of 30,000 is poised to become Spain's first autonomous energy community.

At the foot of a mountain range, 25 kilometers away from the coastline of Alicante, in Southeast Spain, lies the village of Crevillent — one of the country’s driest places. Not a promising fact for a Mediterranean region particularly vulnerable to the changing climate. But Crevillent’s almost 30,000 inhabitants are turning this negative feature into an opportunity to fight the climate crisis.

As less rain also means more hours of sunshine, the town is betting on solar photovoltaic technology to become Spain’s first local energy community. A city where residents will consume self-generated electricity from PV panels, they will collectively own.

The budget for the adaptation of the site, led by local electricity cooperative Enercoop, is 400,000 euros, of which 300,000 are brought on by innovation project MERLON. This European Union-led initiative focuses on optimization of local energy systems, and Crevillent’s first steps transitioning towards an independent energy community will serve as its “living lab” in Spain.

The initial phase of the project will conclude by the end of this year, with the installation of 120 kW that will provide energy for about 70 households. Its lithium-ion energy-storage system of 200 kWh will allow citizens to produce energy during the day and consume it at night as well as to rely on off-grid electricity in case of blackouts.

PV panels installed on rooftops in Crevillent. Photo credit: Enercoop

Looking for space

This will be MERLON’s pilot experience in Spain, but the cooperative’s goal is to extend the coverage so the entire town of Crevillent is independent, energy-wise, by 2030. For that to happen, they will need to find space for all those PV panels that will supply the community’s electricity demand. This is one of the main obstacles the village is facing.

“In a city that, like much of the Spanish eastern coast, has expanded in height, the availability of rooftop space is limited”, says Joaquin Mas, who is the current director of Enercoop. However, Mas is not too worried about it. The municipality is giving up public facilities’ rooftops —schools, swimming pools, sports clubs, green areas, etc.— to install the community’s solar panels, and they expect private owners to do the same.

The city of Crevillent also has an important element in its favour. Practically the entire town gets its energy supply from Enercoop, which, unlike most Spanish energy cooperatives, is not only a seller of electricity but is also a distributor. This is an exception in Spain, where five main companies split the electricity distribution so that each one of them operates in one jurisdiction territory.

“Crevillent is one of the few places where the electricity distribution relies on a local cooperative. This is due to historical reasons: in 1925, there was simply no interest in electrifying the town, whose economy depended on its rug industry. So the townspeople came together and created the cooperative to take care of the energy distribution”, Joaquin Mas explains.

For that reason, virtually all of Crevillent’s residents are members of the cooperative and they feel culturally attached to it. “It’s in our DNA. Our parents and grandparents created it a hundred years ago. Now I don’t know anybody who gets their electricity from any other supplier”, says Salvador Ferrández, one of the most enthusiastic members of this future community.

Although right now he does not see the same level of excitement in many of his neighbours, he believes that once they become an independent energy community it will enhance energy culture at Crevillent, especially when people start feeling the change in their pockets. “In the end is what we care about”, he admits.

PV panels on the cover of Crevillent’s public areas, as projected by Enercoop. Photo: Enercoop

Consumers will not have to make any investment, as much of the budget is funded by the EU project MERLON and the rest will be assumed by the cooperative. But they will benefit from the lower generation costs. Once the energy community is set up, consumers will see a 15-20% reduction in their annual electricity bill, Joaquín Mas assures. 

Most importantly, they will become producers of their own energy, which democratizes electricity consumption, Andreu Escrivà, an environmental scientist and a former member of the regional government’s Climate Change Committee, remarks. “These communities are relevant to show that the energy transition is not about changing one power socket for another, or about using solar panels instead of thermal power plants”, he says.

“Having huge energy production units, unrelated to consumption, prevents the democratization of energy. We have to go towards a scenario in which citizens are capable of making decisions”.

slot thailand slot88 joker123 zeus slot slot mania habanero idn slot jdb slot slot gacor maxwin slot thailand slot thailand slot thailand slot thailand sv388 slot kamboja idn slot slot ovo habanero slot petir slot dana slot maxwin slot ovo starlight princess live casino slot zeus pg soft slot olympus ibcbet maxwin slot thailand slot pgsoft slot slot mahjong zeus slot digmaan slot mania slot pulsa jdb slot slot777 slot shopee slot spade gaming slot thailand slot thailand fafaslot nolimit city slot princess fafaslot fafa slot slot princess slot gacor slot thailand slot mahjong slot gopay slot88 slot toto slot server thailand slot thailand slot77 slot gacor slot thailand slot server thailand slot thailand akun gacor slot maxwin slot gacor slot thailand slot kakek zeus Pg Soft Maxbet Ibcbet Starlight Princess Slot Ovo Joker123 Mahjong Ways 2 Sv388 Sbobet Slot Dana Slot Thailand Slot Thailand Digmaan Sv388 Joker123 Mahjong Ways 2 Slot Dana Slot Gacor Slot Anti Rungkat baccarat roulette sicbo casino online sv388 tembak ikan online sbobet slot macau slot thailand slot thailand slot88 situs slot wwg slot wm casino tembak ikan slot thailand slot wala meron slot nolimit city slot pg slot gacor slot88 slot50000 slot mahjong slot thailand 66k bet slot daftar judi slot online indonesia slot mahjong ways slot thailand mahjong ways slot gacor slot mawin slot gacor slot gacor slot gacor slot thailand slot thailand slot gacor slot ovo slot gacor slot gopay slot gacor slot gacor slot thailand slot gacor judi slot slot thailand slot thailand slot thailand slot mahjong ways 2 slot pragmatic slot demo pragmatic slot demo pg soft demo slot pragmatic slot gacor 4d slot pg soft pgslot pgsoft pgsoft sv388 slot88 pgsoft slot thailand slot88 slot thailand slot gacor slot ovo slot dana fafaslot slot ovo slot jepang judi slot gacor slot rusia Situs Daftar Judi Slot Mahjong Ways 1 dan 2 PG Soft Online PG Soft : Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Slot Kakek Zeus RTP Slot > Daftar Situs Judi Slot Gacor Mahjong Ways 2 PG Soft : Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Terbaik Situs Slot Online Gacor Dan Agen Slot Pragmatic Play Terpercaya Slot Gacor: Situs Slot Online Pragmatic Play & Bocoran Pola Slot Situs Slot Online Terbaik Terpercaya dan Terbesar di Indonesia Slot Kakek Zeus Daftar Link Slot Olympus Terbaru Slot Dana Daftar Judi Slot Online Indonesia Paling Gacor di Indonesia Sabung Ayam Online Sv388 Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online SLOT88 SLOT PG SOFT GACOR Bandar Slot Daftar Situs Judi Online Terbaik & Terpercaya Gacor power gaming sv388 lucky neko slot gacor slot gacor slot88 slot kakek slot pg slot kakek zeus slot dana slot maxwin slot server luar negeri slot thailand Link Daftar Situs Judi Slot Deposit Dana 20RB Tanpa Potongan Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Link Daftar Situs Judi Slot Deposit Dana 20RB Tanpa Potongan Slot Pragmatic - Link Alternatif Judi Slot Online Gacor Kakek Zeus Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Daftar Slot Dana Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play lucky Neko Daftar & Login Slot PG Judi Slot 88 Online Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Slot Mahjong Ways 2 Mudah Jackpot Paus di PG Soft Hari ini 2023 Lucky Neko Situs Slot Gacor Pgsoft Hari Ini Slot Pragmatic - Link Alternatif Judi Slot Online Gacor Kakek Zeus SITUS SABUNG AYAM SV388 ONLINE DAFTAR LINK LOGIN APK AGEN SV388 Daftar Judi Slot Online Indonesia Paling Gacor di Indonesia SBOBET Login Agen Judi Bola Sbobet Mahjong Ways | Slot PG | Slot Mahjong Ways 2 | Slot PGsoft | Daftar Slot Mahjong Situs Joker123 | Joker123 | Joker Gaming | Daftar Slot Joker Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play Agen Daftar Situs Judi Slot Online Terpercaya Slot Kakek Zeus : Daftar RTP Judi Slot Online Gacor Gampang Menang Joker123 Game Slot Gacor Joker Gaming Casino Online Indonesia Power Gaming : Situs Slot Gacor Online RTP Pragmatic Play