Spanish Red Cross teams up with Iberdrola España to reduce the carbon footprint of its centres and facilities

• The energy company will advise and help the Spanish Red Cross to undertake the best energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects based on consumption.
• The first action will be a solar community in Vitoria that will benefit more than 170 families in the Ariznavarra neighbourhood
• The actions undertaken by the Red Cross at its centres to improve their energy efficiency will be related to self-consumption and electric mobility

Iberdrola España and the Spanish Red Cross have signed a collaboration agreement and will work together to reduce the carbon footprint of the humanitarian institution's centres in Spain. Iberdrola España will analyse and will study the different alternatives that the Red Cross can implement and will advise it to undertake the best efficiency projects based on its consumption and facilities, always taking into account the communities where it is present.

The solutions to be developed will focus on electric mobility and self-consumption through individual installations or solar communities and may be extended in the future to other initiatives or products that promote energy savings and decarbonisation, such as heating, cooling or energy rehabilitation options.

The agreement has the potential to realise 40 individual self-consumption photovoltaic installations on the roofs of Red Cross buildings and 50 solar communities which, by allowing neighbours living less than 2 km away to benefit from renewable self-consumption, could help more than 3,000 families to reduce their electricity bills. 

The first action within this framework of action will be a solar community in Vitoria Gazteiz, with which more than 170 families in the Ariznavarra neighbourhood will be able to save on their electricity bills by consuming renewable energy produced locally by this installation, without having to have their own installation or make any investment.

The installation will consist of 210 panels with a total power of 115 kilowatts (kWp), enough to produce 31 MWh annually, and will prevent the emission of around 27 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere over the next 30 years.

In addition to this agreement, the Red Cross is an Iberdrola España electricity customer at its more than 1,600 supply points with 100% Guarantee of Origin renewables. In addition, the organisations have an agreement to protect customers identified by the Red Cross as being extremely economically vulnerable to prevent the power being cut off from failure to pay.

"At the Red Cross we are committed to minimising our environmental impact by benefiting the communities where we work. Creating partnerships and long-term relationships, such as the one with Iberdrola, help us and push us to achieve this goal. Plans such as installing renewable self-consumption, and to a greater extent setting up solar communities, are a clear example of that because of how they benefit neighbouring families," said María del Mar Pageo, president of the Spanish Red Cross.

"Through this agreement, Iberdrola and the Red Cross are making progress in building a more sustainable world through green energy. At Iberdrola, we believe that agreements like this one demonstrate the need for collaboration between all agents of change to create a fairer and cleaner world", said Mario Ruiz-Tagle, CEO of Iberdrola España. 

Spanish Red Cross’s commitment to sustainability

The sustainability and decarbonisation strategy of the Red Cross in Spain is oriented towards its stakeholders and aligned with their vision, mission and principles. Its actions have a positive impact on each of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its plan is structured into five areas of action and consists of more than 120: good governance and transparency, institutional and financial sustainability, human resources, environment and value chain.

In addition, to decarbonise its facilities, the organisation has implemented various energy saving and efficiency measures in its buildings, such as encouraging videoconferencing and less travel, installing renewable energy sources, choosing transport options with lower emissions and contracting 100% renewable energy with the goal of 90% of energy consumed coming from renewable sources by 2025.

Iberdrola España's drive for decarbonisation

Given the need to electrify the economy as the most efficient and least costly option for decarbonisation, Iberdrola España has a wide range of products and services that promote efficiency, energy savings and care for the environment, while focusing on the customer, giving them greater connectivity and decision-making capacity.

These solutions are divided into Smart Mobility, as an integral solution for electric vehicles, Smart Solar, for photovoltaic self-consumption, Smart Services, with peace of mind and energy advice services, aimed at improving efficiency and energy savings, Smart Clima, for heating and cooling solutions and energy rehabilitation.