A partnership between EDP and the Business Association of the Western Region (AIRO) will create an EDP Solar Neighbourhood benefiting small and medium-sized companies in the city. The project also involves 35 vulnerable families who will benefit from the creation of this self-consumption solar community.
EDP Comercial is creating an Energy Community in Caldas da Rainha, central Portugal, which will provide more accessible energy to hundreds of families and companies in the city. In a partnership with the Business Association of the Western Region (AIRO – Associação Empresarial da Região do Oeste), EDP will install a solar plant with over 1800 solar panels on land in the parish, generating around 1 MWp, to create a Solar Neighbourhood and supply energy to nearby businesses.
Companies located within a 4 km radius of the solar plant will be able to join this Solar Neighbourhood, receiving discounts of between 35% and 50% on their monthly energy bills.
Priority will be given to small and medium-sized companies and those that do not have space to install solar panels to produce their own clean energy. EDP Comercial estimates that 70% of the annual production of this Solar Neighbourhood will be used for small businesses located in Caldas da Rainha, such as shops, restaurants and other activities, helping to boost the local economy.
To share this renewable energy more widely and further democratise access to solar energy, the Municipal Council is identifying around 35 vulnerable families in the city to join this project and, thereby, obtain significant reductions in their energy bills.
The first 150 neighbours have already joined this Self-Consumption Energy Community. EDP is responsible for the investment, maintenance and operation of the panels and expects this Neighbourhood to enter into operation later this year. Anyone interested in being part of energy communities in Caldas da Rainha can register with AIRO.
EDP Comercial currently has over 1,500 Solar Neighbourhoods in various stages of development around the country, more than 90% involving micro and small companies. These projects will make a fundamental contribution to the energy transition of the national business fabric and to the reduction of energy costs of over 35,000 companies and families. In total, these projects will add more than 35Wp of self-consumption renewable energy production from North to South of the country.
