en.Wedoany.com Reported - San Fermin Ikastola school in Navarra, Spain, has promoted an energy community project aimed at sharing renewable energy between the school and its associated households.
The project includes a 142 kWp shared self-consumption photovoltaic installation, a battery system with a capacity of 257 kWh, and several energy efficiency, energy management, and sustainable mobility measures. The total investment for the project is €192,047.94, of which €86,084.40 comes from the Navarra Government's 2025 Energy Community Transformation Aid Program.
The core of the energy community is a shared self-consumption photovoltaic system, which will be combined with the school's previously installed 76 kWp solar system. It integrates renewable energy generation and storage to meet the different needs of the educational institution and participating households. During school hours, San Fermin Ikastola will use all generated electricity to meet its own energy needs; during non-school hours, including weekends, holidays, and other non-teaching periods, the generated energy will be available for participating households. This model aims to increase the utilization rate of local renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. According to project data, its benefits can reach over 600 households and businesses within a maximum radius of five kilometers from the installation point, which is the range limit set by the current shared self-consumption model.
The energy community has also developed an intelligent demand management tool based on free software. This system can shift or adjust consumption behavior to periods with the highest renewable energy production, thereby optimizing the efficiency of the generated energy. In terms of energy efficiency, the project includes a complete renovation of the lobby lighting using high-efficiency LED technology, a facility heavily used for sports and extracurricular activities, aiming to significantly reduce its electricity consumption. Additionally, the project plans to establish a shared electric bicycle pilot program for the educational community to provide sustainable mobility alternatives and reduce private car use related to school travel.
San Fermin Ikastola links the development of its energy community to its cooperative nature and collaborates with the Energy Community Network (Red de Comunidades Energéticas), which is also established as a cooperative. The school is part of Euskal Herriko Ikastolen Europar Kooperatiba Elkartea (EHI), an organization that brings together a group of ikastolas (Basque-language schools) with a shared educational and cooperative model. San Fermin Ikastola is a cooperative school providing education from early childhood to high school for over 1,500 students aged 3 to 18. The Energy Community Network is a non-profit cooperative dedicated to promoting the creation of energy communities. Currently, the network has 120 energy communities in Spain, with various electrical installations totaling 6,400 kWp in capacity, generating over 8,000 MWh of electricity distributed to 3,146 households.
