The president of the newly inaugurated energy community El Sol de La Graciosa, Nahum Cabrera, responded to the microphones of Radio Lanzarote - Onda Cero about the initiative created by a group of neighbors of the eighth island who dream of being completely sustainable.
This project arises from the election of La Graciosa as the pilot island of the European project React.
Environmental activist and member of the Board of Directors of the energy community Ginés Díaz reveals that initially the reconversion of the island into an energy-sustainable space was financed by the Horizon 2020 Program of the European Union. Within the framework of this project, he shared space with places such as Aran (Ireland) and San Pietro (Italy).
The objective was to "achieve energy independence of the participating islands through the combination of renewable energy sources and their storage, with an active demand management platform, which invited the participation of users in a local energy community," he adds.
According to this renowned environmental activist, solar energy was installed in 22 houses on the eighth island. "In a way, we have been, by consensus, guinea pigs to test new technologies and especially intelligent management through Artificial Intelligence of that energy," he explains. After that experience and "with the knowledge acquired," they decided to continue with the energy community beyond the European germ.
"We want to make the island of La Graciosa much more sustainable from organized civil society, we do not depend on the City Council, Cabildo or the Government of the Canary Islands. This is a group of neighbors working for La Graciosa," explains the president of the proposal, Nahum Cabrera.
"This is an initiative that comes from the residents of La Graciosa who have come together to create the first energy unit of Lanzarote and La Graciosa," added Nahum Cabrera. For the moment, about twenty people founded the community of El Sol de La Graciosa, but they hope that more neighbors will join. "Among the founders, a board of directors has been formed with a presidency, a secretariat, a treasury and two members. We divide the work as we can," adds Ginés Díaz. "In reality, we have not talked about roles, most have trusted in the direct work of those five people and for now we simply share and manage all the tasks equally," he explains.
In this sense, he points out that "the big stuff is yet to come, we will adjust to the reality that is being formed. We are ambitious in the sense that we aspire to total independence, both in energy and in water production."
The objectives of the project
Regarding the future objectives of the project, Ginés Díaz narrates that "the idea is to advance from two extremes: one particular, where neighbors with their own and self-sufficient energies are joining, inviting them to opt in groups that will surely be cheaper and feasible; and another from the expansion towards more spaces.
Therefore, on the one hand, the solar panels will be installed on private rooftops, "where it seems that they are optimal," reveals the member of the board of directors. While for the president of El Sol de La Graciosa explains that it is "a non-profit system in which we seek to achieve total energy efficiency, always using renewable energies. We will mainly use solar panels in areas that are already built, without touching anything new so to speak, taking advantage of the roofs, the ceilings, everything that is," revealed Nahum Cabrera.
Likewise, Cabrera explained that the surplus energy could be "shared among the members of the community and all the residents of Caleta de Sebo, in addition to using it for social and community purposes."
While in the second place, the goal is to achieve that there is more and more presence of renewables in general infrastructures (water, the port, mobility) until they are insufficient. "We will try to take advantage of already deteriorated spaces and there the possibility opens up to other ways of obtaining energy: wind, marine, etc."
"What is clear is that we live in one of the most protected places in Europe by environmental, territorial and marine laws, but at the same time the management of energy, water and wastewater is the opposite. Our proposal is to end that. And that both the management of the terrestrial maritime space and that of energy and water are equated and modernized," explains Ginés Díaz.
For the moment, this pioneering energy community on the island is within the Clean Energy Forum 2023 For EU Islands of the European Commission, where 30 European islands that want to become completely renewable by 2030 will be selected. If this option is given, it would greatly facilitate the process.
"Obviously this involves dialogue with the different institutions from the City Council, Cabildo, Government of the Canary Islands and Central Government, and the search for their involvement. Energy communities in the background and in the form are a method that Europe has developed to seek to guarantee as much as possible the interests of citizens against business or corporate interests, with which solutions will also have to be agreed."
For Ginés Díaz "there is immense work ahead of which most are still unknowns. Neither more nor less than those of world society. We believe that the current scale of activity of La Graciosa is at a point that makes it very interesting to do the test," bets the activist. In this line, he invites them to "use" them for the benefit of everyone. "Including the rest of life with which we share the space. Our Chinijo world. And that our experience is useful for other places in Europe and the rest of the planet. And in some way break this dynamic of letting ourselves be dragged without more by the economic current of the moment. As much as it is favorable now. In short, be creative protagonists of our destiny, to the extent possible on our part and the help we receive," he concludes.
"The newly inaugurated energy community has two main objectives: the total decarbonization and absolute of La Graciosa and follow the objectives of the 2030 agenda," adapting it to the insular and ultraperipheral character.
At the same time, Nahum Cabrera related the value of rethinking the landscape value of what is being created on the eighth island. "Aesthetically nothing has been done well on the island. We are going to intercede so that this does not continue to happen because it seems to us an authentic aberration," he concluded.
