Fundación EDPNews

EDP and Cáritas are beginning to move forward with their agreement to implement photovoltaic installations for self-consumption at the voluntary organisation's headquarters in Spain. The first three will be carried out at centres of the Cordoba church organisation, which will result in annual savings equivalent to the consumption of 25 homes, while at the same time avoiding the emission of 40 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

The three Cáritas Diocesana de Córdoba centres that will soon have a solar installation are those in Avenida Miguel de Unamuno ('Madre del Redentor’ Shelter), the Las Quemadas industrial estate (Employment Service) and the old people's home in Acera del Río ('San Pablo' Retirement Home).

The signing of the agreement to implement these solar installations was attended by the Director of Cáritas Córdoba, Salvador Ruiz Pino, the Sales Director of EDP Spain, Gustavo Álvarez Granda, and the head of the EDP Foundation, Jorgelina Expósito Blanco.

The largest installation will take place at the Avenida Miguel de Unamuno site. It will have an installed capacity of 21.6 kilowatts peak, which will make it possible to generate the equivalent of the energy consumed annually by 11 households for self-consumption at the site. In addition, as it is 100% renewable energy, it will avoid the emission of 17 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year, which will have a positive impact on air quality similar to that of more than 1,000 new trees.

At the Acera del Río Retirement Home, EDP will commission a photovoltaic installation with a capacity of 16.2 kilowatts peak, which will generate savings equivalent to the average annual consumption of 8 homes and avoid the emission of almost 13 tonnes of CO2.

The 12.6 kilowatt peak installation at the Las Quemadas centre will generate savings equivalent to the consumption of 6 households, while avoiding the emission of 10 tonnes of CO2 per year in environmental terms.

The agreement signed between the three entities extends to the whole of Spain, where Cáritas has 1,700 centres with the potential and space for this type of installation, thereby reinforcing its commitment to energy savings and sustainability.

All of the Cáritas sites with this solar potential can benefit from this agreement, which will be implemented through energy service contracts. EDP provides 100% of the investment and is responsible for the commissioning, legalisation and maintenance of the installation, while each centre pays a monthly fee for the duration of the agreement. Each site will subsequently be able to benefit from the savings and advantages of self-consumption for the lifetime of the installation, which is estimated to be 25 years.

The EDP Foundation is promoting this collaboration as part of its Solidarity Energy programme, providing 40,000 euros per year to cover part of the fees of the Cáritas centres that opt for self-consumption.

If all 1,700 Cáritas sites install the system, they will have installed power of 29,000 kilowatts peak, which translates into annual savings equivalent to the average electricity consumption of 12,000 households. This will also prevent the emission of 13,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, which will have a positive environmental impact similar to that of almost one million new trees.

In addition, Cáritas will organise annual training courses on energy efficiency for employees at its sites, which will be given voluntarily by EDP employees.

This agreement reinforces the commitment of the three organisations to the UN's 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while reflecting the potential of solar self-consumption to boost energy savings and sustainability.