The government team of San Bartolomé firmly believes that the future of Lanzarote depends on our ability today to take courageous steps towards a cleaner, fairer and more sustainable energy model.
Our municipality wanted to be at the forefront with the creation of the local energy community 'San Bartolomé Community Energy', a pioneering project on the island that not only promotes self-consumption but also promotes social equity and economic development
The reality is undeniable. We live in a territory that has abundant natural sources of clean energy - the sun, the wind, the sea - and yet, for decades we have not been able to take full advantage of them. Now we have the responsibility to transform that opportunity into a tangible reality for our neighbors, since facing climate change in a finite world involves developing a sustainable way of life.
We cannot forget that the greatest reference in the care of the territory in Lanzarote was César Manrique. His legacy, deeply rooted in our island, reminds us that development is only true if it is done in harmony with nature. That philosophy, which combines sustainability, innovation and respect for the environment, inspires today projects such as the one we have launched in San Bartolomé and reinforces our conviction that another energy model is possible.
With this initiative, our commitment to society is threefold.
Firstly, from an environmental point of view, we are taking measures to reduce the carbon footprint, betting on the production and consumption of renewable energies. Secondly, from an economic point of view, we seek to ensure that families, businesses and small businesses in San Bartolomé can benefit from fairer and more sustainable bills. And, thirdly, from a social perspective, we want to respond to a reality that we cannot ignore: energy poverty that still affects too many homes.
The Local Energy Community is not only a technical project, it is a commitment to cooperation, innovation and social justice. We want our neighbors to be protagonists of the energy transition, to have access to legal and administrative tools that facilitate their participation and to be an active and beneficiary part of a platform that redistributes benefits, especially to the most vulnerable groups.
In addition, this project has an added value because it promotes awareness about responsible consumption and energy saving. The energy transition is not limited to installing solar panels in anthropized areas in already built buildings or reducing costs, but requires a cultural change in our way of producing and consuming energy. That is the seed we intend to sow from San Bartolomé.
“The energy transition
is not limited to installing solar panels
or reducing costs, but requires a cultural change
in our way of producing and consuming energy”
As mayor of this municipality I am especially proud to carry out proposals of this caliber because the start-up of this local energy community will be an open space for collaboration with other entities, promoting cooperation networks that strengthen the social and economic fabric of our municipality.
I am convinced that this initiative will mark a before and after in the way we conceive energy in Lanzarote. San Bartolomé wants to be an example of how a municipality can become an engine of change, taking advantage of the natural resources that the island offers us and putting them at the service of the common good.
There is no doubt that the future of our island, which coexists with a very large local and floating population throughout the year, is being built today, with courageous decisions. San Bartolomé Community Energy is, without a doubt, a decisive step towards that horizon in which sustainability, savings and social justice will go hand in hand.
