The Las Rozas City Council has completed the installation of 3,000 photovoltaic panels in 30 municipal buildings, generating 2.4 GWh per year, equivalent to the consumption of 700 homes. The project, carried out by Las Rozas Innova, represents an energy saving of 30% and prevents the emission of 600 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
The 3,000 solar panels are now operational. The Las Rozas City Council, through its municipal company Las Rozas Innova, has concluded the Energy Self-Consumption Plan that began in 2023. In total, 30 public buildings now have photovoltaic installations generating 2.4 gigawatt hours per year, a figure that municipal technicians equate to the annual consumption of 700 homes.
Two Phases to Cover the Entire City
The project has been executed in two phases. The first, initiated in the summer of 2023, installed 1,800 panels in all public schools and sports facilities: eleven schools and four sports installations. The second phase, which has just been completed, has added 1,200 panels in fifteen more buildings, including the Town Hall, the municipal centre El Abajón, the senior centres El Baile and Las Matas, the civic and social centre of Las Matas, the headquarters of SAMER-Civil Protection and the Local Police, the nursery schools La Cigüeña María and Juan Ramón Jiménez, the Joaquín Rodrigo Auditorium, the libraries León Tolstoi, Ortega y Gasset and Marga Gil Roësset, the Youth Centre and the Cultural Centre Pérez de la Riva.
The mayor, José de la Uz, visited the installation at the León Tolstoi Library on Wednesday, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Environment of the Community of Madrid, Rafael García. "With the completion of this great project, we continue to move towards our goal of making Las Rozas an efficient, innovative, and sustainable city," declared the mayor. "Thanks to Las Rozas Innova, we are generating clean energy, reducing costs, and improving the services we provide to residents."
30% Savings and Less CO₂
The data supports the investment effort, close to 2 million euros over three years. On average, municipal buildings are already saving 30% on energy costs. Furthermore, the plan will prevent the emission of approximately 600 tonnes of CO₂ per year, a reduction that technicians compare to the absorption capacity of 30,000 trees. The project is part of the city's Energy Efficiency Plan, which also includes monitoring water, gas, and electricity consumption, modernising outdoor lighting, and illuminating sports facilities. According to the City Council, the set of these measures will save two million euros for municipal coffers by 2026.
Real-Time Monitoring from the Smart Platform
One of the distinguishing aspects of the plan is the integration of all production and consumption data into the Las Rozas Smart City Platform. Las Rozas Innova, as the municipal energy manager, can monitor in real-time both the generation and consumption of each building. This information allows for energy audits, detection of consumption patterns, and finding new ways to save. The Energy Efficiency Plan is part of the municipal strategy Las Rozas Zero Objective 2030, which includes initiatives such as the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, the public charging network for electric vehicles Las Rozas Recarga, the renovation of lighting with LED technology, the reforestation of natural spaces, or intelligent climate control and irrigation systems. Thanks to all these actions, the municipal carbon footprint has already been reduced by more than 67%.
The residents of Las Rozas can check the energy savings and solar production data of their public buildings on the municipal website. The City Council plans to continue expanding the self-consumption network in the coming years, with new installations in educational centres and municipal offices still pending.
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