The Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Energy, has commissioned the studies for the decarbonization project of the island of La Graciosa.
The Ministry points out that the objective of the proposal is to "define the potential of alternative energies in this territory and establish the guidelines to achieve climate neutrality, taking as a reference the Energy Transition Plan of the Canary Islands".
The Minister responsible for this Department, José Antonio Valbuena, highlighted that this island of the Chinijo Archipelago "meets all the necessary requirements to become a 100% decarbonized territory thanks to the penetration of renewable energies (individual photovoltaic self-consumption and energy communities) and the promotion of electric mobility".
The assignment will have a total budget of 48,000 euros, to be paid in two annual installments, and its maximum delivery period is set for April 30, 2023.
For his part, the regional Deputy Minister for the Fight against Climate Change and Ecological Transition, Miguel Ángel Pérez, announced that "the actions contemplated in the projecto include an initial energy diagnosis and the current regulatory framework, as well as an analysis of the availability of spaces for the installation of photovoltaic technology in public buildings and on the roofs of homes in La Graciosa".
For this section, the Ministry clarifies that it will resort to "information from local and island public administrations and georeferenced cadastral data to estimate the prediction of thermal demand based on the type of property".
The General Director of Energy of the regional government, Rosana Melián, added that "the island's electricity consumption will be evaluated, the potential for reducing demand through energy saving and efficiency measures, including specific guidelines, and the calculation of the island's overall carbon footprint, which will include the local and tourist population".
Among other aspects, the Ministry adds that the technical requirements necessary for the electrification of passenger maritime transport that takes place daily between Órzola and La Graciosa will also be identified, contemplating the needs of connectivity, electricity consumption that this procedure would entail, charging points to be located at origin and destination, etc.
Finally, different energy scenarios will be determined with their corresponding study of required investment, business plans, needs for public support for financing, security of supply and procedures for operation and maintenance of these facilities.
