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In Spain, POWER UP implemented a pilot scheme in Valencia. It’s the third-largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona, located on the east coast of the Iberian Peninsula, 790.201 inhabitants.
Valencia is one of the four European pilots that acted as “living labs”: each of them implemented novel business models around renewable energy or energy efficiency services together with households affected by energy poverty and with local stakeholders (municipalities, social organisations, energy utilities, citizen cooperatives etc.).
Valencia implemented two models:
Valencia shows how cities can use public procurement and municipal assets to empower citizen-led renewable energy communities, while integrating social benefits such as energy access for vulnerable households and gender mainstreaming. Through strong collaboration and perseverance, the local team reformed its public procurement rules granting energy communities the right to use municipal rooftops for installing solar photovoltaic systems for collective self-consumption.
As part of the EU Mission “100 Climate-Neutral Cities”, expanding local renewable energy production is a key priority. At the same time, the city has seen increasing interest from citizens willing to form renewable energy communities. Through its Energy Offices, Valencia has been supporting the creation of energy communities for several years now. These initiatives often face barriers such as lack of access to rooftops, complex regulatory frameworks, and limited experience developing energy projects. Meanwhile, municipalities often own buildings with large unused rooftop potential. Valencia created the legal framework to provide roof access to citizen-led renewable energy projects.
LAS NAVES is a Foundation promoted by València City Council whose aim is to promote social and urban innovation putting people at the center of innovative action. It accompanies processes and initiatives that can provide innovative solutions to the real problems of citizenship and urban challenges, strengthening the social structures of the territory, through knowledge and technology, putting innovation at the service of citizenship, to contribute to governance and social cohesion.
The Foundation is driving and implementing the city’s climate change strategy in its different aspects. The Foundation is developing activities to tackle climate change, mitigation and adaptation to ensure climate justice and energy democracy for all the inhabitants of the city of Valencia.
Each pilot organisation has found a ‘sparring partner’ organisation in its region.
