Solar energy comes to market
Boqueria Market in Barcelona
Originally uploaded by Icekahlua
The popular Carmel market in Barcelona now has photovoltaic energy panels financed by citizens. “At the market everyone´s fighting against climate change” is an initiative of Markets of Barcelona and the Terra Foundation.
The initiative´s singular characteristic is that the project counts on the participation of ordinary people. The project has been dubbed the “Ola Solar del Carmel” (Carmel Solar Wave).
The concept of Ola Solar has been coined by the Terra Foundation to describe inexpensive solar installations designed to fit a sustainable capitalist model where “waves of solar citizens” may participate.
The stall owners at the market have shown their interest in buying shares in the project, which run from 1,000 to 3,000 euros ($1,413 to $4,240 approx.). This isn´t a donation but rather an investment, meaning that the citizens will get a return on their investment, which is guaranteed to be at least as high as inflation. The generation center has a power of 43.7 kWh and it is expected to produce up to 5,000 kWh/year. The estimated gross return is forecast to amount to 28,000 euros ($39,575) and the pollution savings to reach 25 tonnes of CO2.
Ola Solar at Carmel Market, Barcelona
(Pictures courtesy of the Terra Foundation)
The project wil make Carmel Market into one of the first public facilities to unite people in fighting against climate change through investments in renewable energies. The project goes one step further than the rest of the programs that Markets of Barcelona already carries out in the area of environmental responsability, like selective garbage collection, its posterior treatment and a commitment to install solar panels in those markets in Barcelona that are still to be refurbished.
Tags: Barcelona, Bioclimatic architecture, green building, Ola solar, Photovoltaics, solar energy, solar panels, Solar power
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
