- Thanks to the proposed formula, the academic institution will not have to make any initial investment, with Endesa X assuming the installation costs
- The winner of the tender will install around 3,612 photovoltaic modules on the roofs of several buildings, with a total capacity of 2 MWp
- The solar energy produced by the solar panels will prevent the emission of 772.1 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year, the equivalent of planting 4,625 trees.
Endesa, through its energy services subsidiary Endesa X, will be in charge of building and commissioning another 8 new photovoltaic solar plants in six buildings and two car parks at different points on the University of Alicante campus, after being awarded the public tender. This initiative extends the institution's commitment to solar self-consumption and will bolster its sustainability policy, with the university being able to satisfy up to 15.35% of the energy needs for its activities from its own roofs.
The project was presented this morning in the Multimedia Room of the San Vicente del Raspeig campus at an event chaired by the rector, Amparo Navarro, in which the vice-rector for Infrastructure, Sustainability and Occupational Health, Salvador Ivorra, and the Endesa X executives Juan Garrigosa de Sigmaringa, director of Public Administrations, and María Esquembre Clerigues, head of the company's Levante area, also took part.
During the event, the rector of the UA, Amparo Navarro, explained that, "thanks to the proposed formula, the installation of solar panels will be carried out by Endesa X, which will assume the costs derived from it", allowing the University of Alicante to "confirm the position of the University of Alicante as a university clearly committed to sustainability in Spain".
The new installations will consist of 3,612 photovoltaic modules distributed over the roofs of six buildings and two car parks, with a total capacity of 2 MWp. As a result, the University of Alicante "will be able to continue making progress in reducing its carbon footprint, a commitment made by the current management team of the academic institution that will prevent the emission of 772.1 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year, equivalent to the absorption capacity of 4,625 trees/year", as set out by the vice-rector for Infrastructure, Salvador Ivorra.
Specifically, the solar panels will be installed in six buildings: the Optics building, Lecture Room Building I, Lecture Room Building III, the Higher Polytechnic School II, the Higher Polytechnic School III and the Germán Bernácer building. The two car parks chosen for the installations will be those of the New Institutes and Technical Services, in the West Campus.
No initial investment
During the presentation of the project, the company's managers explained the advantage of the formula with which Endesa X has been working, whereby the University of Alicante will not have to make any initial investment, Endesa X assuming the cost of installing the self-consumption photovoltaic plant and thus allowing the academic institution to allocate its resources to other initiatives.
Juan Garrigosa, Director of Public Administrations at Endesa X, stressed that "Endesa offers all its knowledge of the energy sector, the most cutting-edge technology and the support of a solid company that guarantees a successful result to accompany universities on their path to sustainability. These types of self-consumption solutions offered by Endesa are a very viable alternative for public institutions to carry out their decarbonisation process without additional financial burdens and with a considerable impact on the reduction of their ecological footprint and their bill for energy consumption. The head of the Levante area for Endesa X, María Garrigosa, presented the project and emphasised that the works, which will start imminently, will take 18 months to complete.
In this type of contract, a fixed price is established associated with the supply of renewable energy produced by the self-consumption facilities and the service that Endesa X will provide for the operation, maintenance and operation of the installed infrastructure over the 10-year lifespan of the contract. This agreement means that the university will be able to increase its level of certainty with regard to its energy costs for the duration of the contract. After a decade, the University of Alicante will fully manage its photovoltaic installation.
As the Vice-Rector for Infrastructure, Sustainability and Occupational Health of the UA, Salvador Ivorra, explained, the installation of these solar plants "marks another step forward in our commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, as we point out in our Agenda 21, the diagnostic document and action programme included in the UA's Social Responsibility Plan". Specifically, point 5.2.3 defines "the strategy for the reduction/offsetting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the fight against climate change, which includes, inter alia, proposed energy saving mechanisms for buildings, in accordance with the GHG emissions protocol or standards based on this protocol".
The University of Alicante's 2022-2024 Strategic Plan establishes the goal of "Achieving an energy-efficient university by promoting the use of renewable energies" among the objectives of its 7th line of action, equality, social commitment and sustainability.
Alicante, leader in solar hours
Alicante is one of the Spanish provinces with the most hours of sunshine per year and the one that has deployed the largest number of self-consumption installations in the last year, according to the latest Self-consumption report by the Generalitat.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It undertakes end-to-end business including the generation, distribution and retailing of electricity. It also offers electric mobility services, where it is one of the main operators of charging stations in Spain, and, through the Endesa X brand, value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers around 9,000 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, Europe's largest electricity group.