The Deputy Minister for Ecological Transition, Julieta Schallenberg, inaugurated the new photovoltaic canopies at the San Isidro Municipal Funeral Home parking lot in Gáldar this Tuesday. The installation, funded by Next Generation funds, features 507 panels and six charging points for electric vehicles.
The Gran Canaria municipality of Gáldar has taken another step in its commitment to sustainability with the launch of photovoltaic canopies in the parking lot of the San Isidro Municipal Funeral Home. The Deputy Minister for Ecological Transition, Climate Change and Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands, Julieta Schallenberg, inaugurated the installation this Tuesday, which involved an investment of 827,781.96 euros, fully funded by Next Generation EU funds.
This initiative is part of the Sustainable Energy Strategy in the Canary Islands, a pioneering line in the archipelago that aims to promote the implementation of renewable energies on already transformed spaces, such as parking lots or rooftops. This way, new land occupation is avoided, and additional benefits are generated, such as providing shade for vehicles and incorporating charging points for electric cars.
During the inauguration, Schallenberg highlighted that "the energy transition is also built from municipalities and by taking advantage of infrastructures that are already part of citizens' daily lives." She added that "this type of initiative demonstrates that it is possible to produce clean energy, reduce energy consumption, and move towards a more sustainable model without occupying new land."
The Deputy Minister also emphasized the role of European funds in the realization of the project: "The management of Next Generation EU funds by the Government of the Canary Islands is allowing projects like this to reach municipalities and turn European funding into useful, sustainable infrastructures with a direct impact on people's lives."
For his part, the mayor of Gáldar, Teodoro Sosa, described the infrastructure as "another step in the model of municipality we are building, where every public investment must also contribute to reducing energy consumption, emissions, and the municipal electricity bill." Sosa reminded that "sustainability is no longer an option, but an obligation that we are incorporating transversally into each of the projects executed by the City Council."
The new installation features 507 photovoltaic modules with a peak power of 225.6 kWp, two energy storage systems with a combined capacity of 430 kWh, and six charging stations for electric vehicles. In total, the canopies cover 85 parking spaces, optimizing the use of generated energy and promoting self-consumption of municipal facilities.
The councilor for the Environment of the Gáldar City Council, Ulises Miranda, was also present at the event and highlighted the pioneering nature of the initiative. The action is part of the specific call for the development of photovoltaic installations in anthropized spaces, promoted by the Department of Ecological Transition and Energy.
With this project, Gáldar joins the list of Canary Island municipalities that are betting on photovoltaic solar energy as a tool to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and move towards decarbonization. The combination of clean energy generation, storage, and charging points for electric vehicles makes the funeral home's parking lot an example of sustainable infrastructure integrated into the urban environment.
The residents of Gáldar will benefit from the shade provided by the canopies while charging their electric vehicles at the designated stations. Additionally, the energy generated will be allocated for the self-consumption of the funeral home and other nearby municipal facilities, resulting in savings on the city's electricity bill.
The project is part of the regional strategy to promote renewable energies in already urbanized spaces, thus avoiding the occupation of natural lands. The Government of the Canary Islands hopes that initiatives like this will serve as a model for other municipalities in the archipelago.
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