Guardian: an energetically sustainable project

The initiative has installed photovoltaic technology in the Turia Natural Park to protect the biodiversity of the area

Since its inception, the Guardian project has emerged as a sustainable, innovative and economically viable initiative. Concern about the impact on the environment of the Turia y la Vallesa Natural Park, as well as increasing resilience to fire through the use of reclaimed water are the key to this sustainable urban initiative. For this reason, it has opted for the implementation of photovoltaic technology in the enclave of the Turia Natural Park, which minimizes the impact and protects the biodiversity of the area.

In order to power the hydraulic system, which includes five storage tanks, photovoltaic panels have been installed on the roof of the pumping houses attached to the Alpha, Bravo and Delta tanks, which will allow the devices to be supplied with electricity: service devices (plugs and switches), the interior lighting, the general electrical panel, the remote control station, as well as the chlorination system of each of the booths.

In this way, the facility’s self-consumption is made possible to supply water to the more than 6,500 meters of pipes distributed throughout the natural environment.

The photovoltaic installation is made up of the solar panels arranged on the roof with the appropriate inclination and orientation, by the accumulation batteries, as well as by an inverter that transforms the direct current that it receives from the photovoltaic panels and that is stored in the batteries of storage in alternating current suitable for domestic use.

Photovoltaic solar energy is suitable for the environment in a natural park such as Túria and avoids the extension of conventional electrical networks, which have a very high cost, in addition to their technical infeasibility, in some cases, to bring the electricity connection to the project area.

Best Practices Award

The mayor of Riba-roja, Robert Raga, collected on May 21 in Madrid the Award for Good Practices for Climate for the Guardian Project, in the eighth call of the contest carried out by the Spanish Network of Cities for the Climate of the FEMP, in collaboration with the Spanish Office for Climate Change (OECC) of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).

The Guardian project was recognized among the 94 good practices received, proposed by 55 Local Entities, which shows that the policies to favor the improvement of the climate are increasingly relevant in the set of local policies.

The award was presented by the Secretary General of the FEMP, Carlos Daniel Casares, and the Director General of the OECC, Valvanera Ulargui. The purpose of these awards is to recognize Local Entities for their efforts and projects in the fight against climate change.

The network is made up of more than 350 town councils, provincial councils and island councils that represent more than 30 million inhabitants.