El shared self-consumption It is becoming one of the most interesting ways to bring solar energy to the public without requiring each household to install its own panels. Local councils and regional governments are testing different models of energy communities where production is concentrated on public rooftops and the electricity is distributed among neighbors and nearby businesses.
In Spain, very diverse experiences are beginning to consolidate, from neighborhoods undergoing urban regeneration to small rural municipalities that have practically managed to get the entire town involved. Bilbao, Barcelona and Calanda These are three significant examples of how shared self-consumption can be adapted to very different realities and still have a common goal: to reduce emissions, lower the bill and give people more control over the energy they consume.
Otxarkoaga (Bilbao): solar communities in the regeneration of a neighborhood
In Bilbao, the Basque Government has approved a direct subsidy of 190.000 Euros to the Local Autonomous Agency for Municipal Housing to advance an experimental project of shared self-consumption communities in the Otxarkoaga neighborhood. This aid continues a first phase, endowed with 110.000 euros, in which photovoltaic panels had already been installed in several residential buildings and public facilities in the area.
The new phase focuses on the Shopping Center C “El Chino”One of the neighborhood's key locations, this complex comprises three interconnected buildings. Its rooftops are considered particularly suitable for hosting a sizable solar installation capable of supplying electricity to various commercial premises and potential residential users in the surrounding area, within the legally permitted radius for shared self-consumption.
The project is not limited to installing photovoltaic modules. It also includes the roof rehabilitationThe modernization of the mechanical room and the replacement of the lighting with more efficient systems have improved the shopping center's energy rating and prepared it to operate as a node of a local energy community, from which energy can be shared with a wider range of consumers.
The initiative in Otxarkoaga is part of the strategy of comprehensive regeneration of the neighborhood and is part of the Basque Country Urban Agenda – Bultzatu 2050. The commitment involves combining building rehabilitation, energy efficiency and citizen participation to move towards a more sustainable urban model, with less dependence on fossil fuels and a more equitable distribution of the benefits of the energy transition.
Among the objectives of this line of work are the reduction of conventional energy consumption and of CO₂ emissions, access to renewables for households with fewer resources, the promotion of innovative solutions in eco-efficient architecture and, ultimately, an improvement in the quality of life and economic opportunities of a traditionally vulnerable neighborhood.
Barcelona: solar pergola energy for a hundred homes
In Barcelona, the City Council has launched a shared municipal self-consumption service which takes advantage of the solar energy generated in two large photovoltaic pergolas located in public space: the one in the Alfonso Comín square, in the Gràcia district, and the one on the Ronda de Dalt, on the Vall d'Hebron promenade, in Horta-Guinardó.
It is a pilot test It already has around one hundred participating consumers, including households and small businesses located within 1.000 meters of the facilities. Each user has an average allocation of 500 W power for self-consumption, without the need to make their own investments in solar panels or equipment, since the council takes care of the infrastructure and its management.
Shared energy is traded through a public price of 70 euros per year for each 500W block allocated. Municipal studies estimate that this scheme can allow energy savings of close to 20% of annual consumption for a typical household, which usually translates into a reduction in the electricity bill of between 90 and 150 euros per year, depending on the evolution of electricity prices.
The City Council, through the Local Energy Agency, supports users with personalized advice. The aim is for beneficiaries to be fully aware of their options at all times. Consuming patterns and adapt their habits to better take advantage of periods of peak solar generation. In this way, the project not only contributes to savings, but also to energy literacy and greater awareness of the responsible use of electricity.
The service design incorporates a relevant social aspect: some of the places are allocated through competitive public biddingWhile a specific quota is reserved for families in vulnerable situations, who are selected based on social criteria and enjoy a 100% bonus on the public price. Thus, these households can access renewable energy at no additional cost, in line with the objectives of a just energy transition.
Pergola capacity and energy distribution in Barcelona
The two municipal pergolas that supply the service represent a significant portion of the city's photovoltaic investment in this initial phase. The structure of the Ronda de Dalt It has an installed capacity of around 43 kWp, with an estimated annual production of approximately 54.000 kWh. This facility supplies shared electricity to a few dozen households selected through a public tender, plus an additional group of vulnerable families, while a small portion of the capacity is reserved for nearby municipal supplies.
For its part, the pergola of the Alfonso Comín Square It has a capacity of just over 24 kWp and a projected generation of around 30.000 kWh per year. Its energy is also distributed among several groups of domestic users, combining participants in the general call for applications with households that meet vulnerability criteria, and leaving some margin for nearby public utility consumption.
In both cases, the distribution scheme meets the requirements of shared local self-consumptionMaking the most of the available space in existing structures, this allows for the revitalization of municipal infrastructure that previously had limited use, transforming it into a genuine source of electricity for the community.
The deputy mayor responsible for climate action and urban planning has indicated that this project places Barcelona among the leading cities in shared self-consumption at the state level. The pilot program will have a maximum duration of four years, during which time its impact, user satisfaction levels, and potential for expansion to other neighborhoods and public rooftops in the city will be analyzed.
At a strategic level, the initiative is framed within the Climate Plan This initiative is municipal and aligned with the development of urban energy communities. The underlying objective is to build a more distributed energy system, with greater citizen participation and less dependence on large, centralized infrastructures, while also considering the social dimension and supporting those who have the most difficulty affording energy costs.
Calanda: a municipality that shares the energy of almost the entire town
While large cities are testing pilot projects at the neighborhood scale, in the Teruel municipality of calanda What is being presented as the largest municipally owned shared self-consumption plant registered to date in Spain has been launched. Nearly 1.000 families—around 70-75% of the households in the town—have joined this initiative promoted by the City Council together with Enel Green Power, Endesa's renewable energy subsidiary.
The project, named 'Genera Calanda', is structured around 15 photovoltaic installations Located above municipal buildings and facilities such as the sports center, the residence, the swimming pools, warehouses, and a multi-purpose pavilion. Together they have an installed capacity of approximately... 950 kWThis represents a remarkable generation capacity for a municipality of this size and allows it to cover part of the demand of a very large number of homes.
The initiative was created as one of the socio-economic support measures linked to Mudejar KnotFollowing the closure of the Andorra thermal power plant, the goal is for the transition from a fossil fuel-intensive model to a renewable one to have a clear return for the local population, reducing energy costs and generating new economic opportunities and local energy management.
Regarding financing, Enel Green Power has assumed around 80% of an investment exceeding 2 million eurosThe remaining 20% is contributed by the City Council. This public-private partnership has accelerated the project's execution and minimized the initial financial burden on the municipal coffers, while maintaining public ownership of the facilities.
Thanks to this rollout, each participating family can have up to 1.000 kWh of locally generated energy per yearMunicipal calculations indicate that, in an average household with an installed power of around 5,5 kW, the savings could be around 30 euros per month on the electricity bill, always subject to the evolution of energy prices in the market.
Local energy communities and long-term savings
The design of the Calanda project comprises two main phases. The first, now completed, consisted of the Installation of solar panels and technical commissioning of the plants. The second focuses on the creation and activation of a citizen energy community, which will be responsible for managing the distribution of energy, the relationship with the marketing companies and, in general, the organization of shared self-consumption.
It is planned that, once the initial operating period by the developing company has ended, the facilities will revert to the City Council, which will then transfer them to this energy community for management. At that point, it is expected that a [system/community/entity] will be consolidated Saving on your electricity bill which, according to municipal estimates, could be between 35% and 40% for participating families.
The impact is not limited to households. The City Council itself estimates that it will be able to reduce around a 40% of their energy expenditureThis represents an estimated annual saving of between €35.000 and €38.000 for the local administration. Furthermore, numerous businesses in the municipality with high energy consumption have joined the shared self-consumption scheme, which will allow them to reduce their costs in the medium term and become more competitive.
The mayor emphasized the collective nature of the project and the high level of community participation, noting that almost three-quarters of the municipality's families have joined. According to his statements, the facilities' expected lifespan of 20 to 25 years marks the beginning of a prolonged period in which the municipality will be able to benefit from a cheaper and cleaner energy, while simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint.
The Calanda experience is being considered as a possible model for other towns within the area covered by the Just Transition Agreement of Aragon, where it is being considered that up to thousands of families can take advantage to similar solutions in the coming years, as new renewable projects linked to the conversion of old thermal infrastructures are deployed.
The impulse of shared self-consumption Projects in Bilbao, Barcelona, and Calanda demonstrate that, with different approaches and at very diverse scales, it is possible to build energy communities that combine economic savings, emissions reduction, and citizen participation. From a neighborhood shopping center transformed into a solar hub, to urban pergolas that provide both shade and energy, to a small town where almost the entire population shares in photovoltaic production, these projects point to a scenario in which energy is generated closer to home, distributed more equitably, and integrated as a key element in urban regeneration, social cohesion, and ecological transition policies.