Solar Canopy Planned for Valsequillo Car Park
The Gran Canaria Council, through the Island Energy Council of Gran Canaria (CIEGC) and in collaboration with Valsequillo de Gran Canaria Town Council, has put out to tender the project ‘Photovoltaic installation on canopies in the car park of Juanito Gil Park in Valsequillo de Gran Canaria’. According to the island’s governing body, this initiative will allow for the production of renewable energy by utilising already developed land while improving the usability of this public space.
Driving a Sustainable Energy Model
“With the launch of this photovoltaic plant for self-consumption, we will help reduce CO2 emissions associated with electricity consumption, decrease dependence on non-renewable energy sources and move towards a more sustainable and resilient energy model,” the council said in a statement released this weekend. The energy generated could benefit the Valsequillo Energy Community, promoting a shared model of renewable energy production and consumption with a direct impact on the municipality.
Bringing the Energy Transition Inland
This project, which follows a recently announced one in Artenara, is part of the Gran Canaria Council’s island-wide decarbonisation strategy. It reinforces the commitment to bringing the energy transition to the island’s mid-altitude regions, areas deemed crucial for insular balance and social cohesion. The Councillor for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Knowledge of the Gran Canaria Council, Raúl García Brink, argues that projects like this demonstrate that the energy transition can be integrated into everyday infrastructure.
“It generates clean energy without occupying new land and provides direct benefits to citizens,” he said. In his view, the energy transition on Gran Canaria cannot be limited to large infrastructures concentrated in a few points of the territory. “If we want it to be fair, resilient and socially shared, it must also, and as a priority, reach the mid-altitude areas and peaks, the inland municipalities and the spaces where people live.”
A New Logic for the Energy System
“The photovoltaic installations promoted by the Gran Canaria Council in public facilities, car parks and educational centres respond precisely to this vision,” the councillor stated. “It is not just about adding renewable capacity, but about changing the logic of the energy system, committing to producing clean energy in already developed spaces, without consuming more land and avoiding new environmental conflicts.”
The Mayor of Valsequillo, Juan Carlos Hernández Atta, noted for his part that this project for the car park locally known as ‘Juanito Gil’s car park’ is a good example of how to use existing public spaces to advance the energy transition, support the local energy community and improve an environment widely used by residents.
Project Specifications and Funding
The project involves the installation of 94 photovoltaic modules of 640Wp, with a total peak power of 60.16 kWp and a nominal power of 50 kW, plus a 107 kWh storage system to optimise the use of the energy generated. The infrastructure will achieve an estimated annual production of 115,420 kWh, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 33 homes. Its launch will prevent the emission of 66.02 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to planting 4,126 trees.
The total budget for the project amounts to €229,048.96 (including IGIC tax). The project has a granted subsidy of €159,484.63, under the grants for promoting self-sufficiency in Public Administrations, within the Sustainable Energy Strategy in the Canary Islands (Programme 1, Lines 1 and 2), funded by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (Component 7, Investment 2), financed by the European Union Next Generation funds.
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