The Ribera de Bilbao market, promoted by Iberdrola España, saves 30% of the total energy consumed in one year

• The market's self-consumption infrastructure, with 324 solar panels on 6 roofs of the building, has managed to generate 92.05MWh in one year and consume 79.98MWh of it.

• With this action, Bilbao City Council, through Bilbao Zerbitzuak, has prevented the emission of 44 tonnes of C0₂ into the atmosphere – the equivalent of planting 61 trees.

The solar photovoltaic energy at the La Ribera municipal market, which was implemented by Bilbao City Council through Bilbao Zerbitzuak and Iberdrola España, is now one year old and has generated savings of 30% of the total energy consumed by the market – 5% more than initially planned. This was announced this morning at a press conference by the Councillor for Health and Consumer Affairs of Bilbao City Council, Álvaro Pérez; together with Eduardo Lobato, Iberdrola España's Commercial Delegate in the Basque Country; and the manager of Bilbao Zerbitzuak, José Antonio Fernández. 

"This system represents a step towards the decarbonisation and reduction of energy consumption in the municipal market of La Ribera. Since 26 March 2023, when it was put into operation, the energy produced has been 92.05 MWh, of which 86.9% has been consumed in the Market, while 13.1% has been returned to the grid. More specifically, the energy consumed by the market was 267.18 MWh, with 29.9% coming from the solar panels and 70.1% supplied by the grid. This represents a reduction of 40.8% compared to 2022", said the councillor.

By means of this system, which has 324 solar panels on 6 roofs of the building, Bilbao City Council has prevented the emission of 44 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere – the equivalent of planting 61 trees – which means a saving of 37.37 tonnes of carbon. 

In addition, alongside this sustainable initiative, two dual 22kW electric charging points were also included in the shopkeepers' access car park, helping to electrify last mile transport. 

"The municipal market of La Ribera has special protection thanks to its location in the historic centre of Bilbao. Thanks to this action, our market is now sustainable and preserves its heritage value", said Álvaro Pérez. This facility is aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Eduardo Lobato, Iberdrola España's Commercial Delegate in the Basque Country, stressed that this project "has been a very important milestone for us because it is an emblematic, historic and socially important place for shopkeepers and the people of Bilbao. It is also an example of an agreement and collaboration between Bilbao Zerbitzuak and Iberdrola España. We provide innovative and sustainable energy solutions, which have led to the hiring of local jobs during its construction. Furthermore, we make totally renewable and green self-consumption energy available to shopkeepers. In this way we continue to contribute to decarbonisation".

This installation of solar panels is in addition to other actions carried out in order to improve the energy efficiency of La Ribera Market (for instance, at the end of 2022 a new industrial cooling system was installed in the market) and has led to a saving in 2023 versus 2019 of €38,037.43, which means that the bill has been reduced by more than half with a -53.8%.

For a more sustainable city

In addition to this installation, solar energy systems were also installed last year in the Ensanche and Otxarkoaga municipal markets. As a matter of fact, between the two markets, the installations amount to 1,616 square metres of solar panels; 900 of them in the Ensanche and 716 in Otxarkoaga. In this case, the systems work in self-consumption mode, transferring the surplus energy to the grid. In this way, the surplus generated in the Ensanche market is supplied to the Deusto and Trauko markets; and in the same way, the Otxarkoaga installation supplies energy to Labayru and La Ribera markets.

All of this represents a further milestone on the road to achieving the long-term greenhouse gas emission reduction targets, through the promotion of energy efficiency measures, which should reach 31% by 2030; energy saving and the promotion and implementation of renewable energies, which should reach a 32% share of the total; together with other obligations to be met by 2030, such as a 40% reduction in GHG emissions (greenhouse gases) compared to 1990.

A building under special protection

The Mercado de La Ribera is a building under special protection thanks to its location in the historic quarter of Bilbao, which was declared a national Historic-Artistic Site by Decree 3290/1972, of 9 November, to which it was subsequently declared a Qualified Cultural Asset, with the category of Monumental Site, by Decree 543/1995, of 29 December. 

In this context, the installation of solar panels in the La Ribera Market a little over a year ago was possible thanks to the modification and adaptation of the Special Plan for the Rehabilitation of the Old Quarter to the new General Urban Development Plan. This initiative is framed within the commitment to move towards decarbonisation and reduction of energy consumption, and under the commitment to be totally respectful of the protection system derived from the typology and history of the building.

Bilbao Zerbitzuak's commitment to the installation and commissioning of these solar panel installations is in line with Law 4/2019, of 21 February, on Energy Sustainability of the Basque Autonomous Community, which stipulates that by 2030 each Basque Public Administration must have sufficient renewable energy installations to supply 32% of its consumption.