The General Director of Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands, Adrián Mendoza, presented in Arrecife last week, the Conference on Energy Saving, which with the slogan "Energy is written with ?" are being developed in each of the islands.
The opening of the Conference, which took place at 7:00 p.m. at the Arrecife Gran Hotel, was given by the General Director of Energy and the president of Felapyme, Alfredo Villalba. During the Conference, Adrián Mendoza announced the lines of aid for energy efficiency and saving of the Canary Islands Energy Plan (PECAN).
The Ministry of Employment, Industry and Commerce of the Government of the Canary Islands has been developing Conferences on Energy Saving in each of the islands, with the aim of raising awareness among entrepreneurs of the responsible use of energy as the only way to increase the efficiency and productivity of companies, improve the quality of life of citizens, as well as to preserve and guarantee the energy power that drives the development of the Archipelago.
In this task, the role played by the private company is considered key, not only because it is one of the largest consumers, but because the training of responsible workers and professionals in its use creates responsible citizens. Thus, they pointed out that introducing the bases of an energy culture in small and medium-sized companies will allow, in the short term, to reduce the high volumes of energy that are wasted throughout the production process and, in the medium term, the transfer of their concepts to the social and private life of citizens.
Likewise, they also indicated that the dependence on the exterior and the aggregate costs in energy production affect the Canarian economy with an important impact on the expenses of companies due to its direct impact in accounting, environmental and social terms that affect the quality of the tourist and agri-food offer, among others. Therefore, the use of new technologies that reduce consumption, the maintenance and correct use of equipment and machinery, as well as the development of habits that adapt to the new challenges, "require a greater commitment from everyone".
Lower consumption, greater efficiency
A study carried out by FENOSA in 2005 highlights the brutal effect that the energy wasted in the economy of small and medium-sized Spanish companies has, which amounts to 1,550 million euros, or the equivalent of 1% of their turnover.
According to the aforementioned study, 5.3% of the personnel expenses of all SMEs are lost between equipment that remains on when not in use, or is misused or uses obsolete technological expressions. However, an adequate use
of the energy that moves SMEs would reduce their consumption by 20%, 10% of the electricity consumption of all of Spain and 22% of the emissions necessary for the State to comply with the Kyoto Protocol (10.45 million tons of CO2).
Aware of this situation, the Government of the Canary Islands is working to promote the idea of energy culture as a fundamental principle of the organization of
companies, whose consumption is much higher than the energy available in the Archipelago, with the aggravating factor in the Canary Islands of distance, insularity and fragmentation of the territory.
Awareness and training
In recent years, companies are beginning to identify energy consumption and the need to develop practices that reduce its impact on their budgets, as one of the keys to the business and have been working on building a movement of energy optimization in the world of SMEs.
Based on this experience, the Ministry of Employment, Commerce and Industry offers its support and resources to entrepreneurs to reduce their consumption by 20% and make their businesses more efficient and competitive with information, training in the management of
energy and in the supply of tools that allow them to detect failures, measure their energy efficiency and meet their technological renovation needs. Likewise,
it works on raising awareness and training personnel for the exercise of behaviors that optimize energy consumption.
