- Through 18 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, which include PV solar power generation systems, LED light replacement, and the use of electric heat pumps, the community will neutralize its energy consumption, equivalent to 148 homes, eliminating the use of 9,700 tanks of liquefied gas (15 kg) and saving around $77 million each year.
Santiago, April 13, 2023- “Sustainable Providencia On the Path to Carbon Neutrality' is a project that highlights the importance of public-private collaboration to bring the community closer to technological solutions, which along with renewable energies, will help drive energy efficiency and sustainability within the community.
The Municipality of Providencia, along with Enel X and the Energy Sustainability Agency, developed the project “Providencia on the Path to Carbon Neutrality,” which consists of 18 initiatives aimed at the efficient use of resources and is expected to generate savings of around $77 million per year.
The project was made possible thanks to competition funds awarded by the Ministry of Energy, through the 5th Call for Proposals for Local Energy Investment organized by the Energy Sustainability Agency, as part of the Energy Community program, for solutions the municipality asked Enel X to implement.
“Here in the Municipality of Providencia, we are very pleased to have carried out this project alongside the Energy Sustainability Agency. This will allow some of our schools and sporting complexes to have solar power, LED lighting, and sustainable heating solutions. We will also have the first electric vehicle in the Municipality, which will be used by our inspectors. This actions, plus other measures that we have been implementing over the years, demonstrate our great commitment to protecting and caring for the environment,” affirms Evelyn Matthei, Mayor of Providencia.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Energy Diego Pardow says that “the Administration of President Gabriel Boric is strongly committed to the well-being of its citizens and moving towards a cleaner energy matrix. In this line, the Energy Community program by the Energy Sustainability Agency and promoted by the Ministry of Energy has signed agreements with 104 municipalities to promote citizen participation and identify the needs of local governments to reduce energy consumption, fostering local development and the use of clean generation sources. In this way, we don’t want anyone to be left behind in the energy transition process.”
Of the 18 projects, eight correspond to energy efficiency solutions, six to clean heating solutions, three to renewable energies, and one is associated with electromobility. This initiatives considered a change in technology from natural gas boilers to heat pump systems, LED light replacement, PV solar plants under Law 21,118, and the replacement of an internal combustion vehicle with an electric vehicle.
“This is a project that once again highlights everything we can achieve when the public and private sectors come together to benefit the community, but primarily thinking about the new generations. Today we are making sustainable and environmentally-friendly solutions available to city schools and facilities, allowing us to advance in the energy transition of communities as important as Providencia,” points out Karla Zapata, CEO of Enel X.
The project developed allows for annual PV solar power generation of 127,710 kWh, equivalent to an annual electricity consumption of 62 average Chilean homes; electricity savings of 178,228 kWh per year with the implementation of LED lighting, equivalent to an annual electricity consumption of another 86 homes; and finally, thermal energy savings of 1,862,172 kWh thanks to the use of heat pumps that only use electricity, avoiding the annual consumption of around 9,700 tanks (15kg) of liquefied gas.
Electromobility will also play an important role in the project, generating energy savings of 27,466 kWh, equivalent to the consumption of 3,233 liters of gasoline every year. Total annual net savings are estimated to reach around $76,937,502.
“Initiatives like this one contribute to the better energy management of municipalities, and are a role model for other communities around the country. To date, across all calls for proposals, nearly $3.8 billion has been invested, of which $2,464 million represent private contributions, generating positive impacts on the country and avoiding over 2,500 tons of CO2 each year,” adds Rosa Riquelme, Executive Director of the Energy Sustainability Agency.
Driving the energy transition in Providencia
The 18 projects are associated with 11 municipal facilities, including two sporting complexes, Providencia and El Aguilucho. In this case, the Hot Water and Pool Water heating system was changed with the incorporation of Heat Pumps. Moreover, a PV solar power plant was installed in the Aguilucho Sporting Center. LED lights were also replaced in eight schools, plus two PV solar power plants were installed, one in the Mercedes Marín del Solar School and the other in the José Victorino Lastarria School. Finally, an Electromobility project was added to the Department of Inspection, with the incorporation of an electric vehicle and a charging station.
As an innovative component of this initiative, an online monitoring and measurement tool will be implemented to help the Municipality promote and improve its energy management. This tool will not only help improve the complexes’ administration from an energy perspective, but will also provide information that the Municipality can use to generate reports and statistics for the community and promote the efficient use of energy.
All of these sub-projects have been developed as a joint public-private initiative in energy efficiency, through the Energy Sustainability Agency and the Ministry of Energy. The Agency acts as a coordinator and technical counterpart, building trust between the parties and co-funding these projects, which executing the resources made available by the Ministry of Energy.
Enel S.p.A. provides for the dissemination to the public of regulated information by using SDIR NIS, managed by BIt Market Services, a London Stock Exchange Group's company, with registered office at Milan, Piazza degli Affari, 6. For the storage of regulated information made available to the public, Enel S.p.A. has adhered, as from July 1st, 2015 to the authorized mechanism denominated “NIS-Storage”, available at the address www.emarketstorage.com, managed by the above mentioned BIt Market Services S.p.A. and authorized by CONSOB with the resolution No. 19067 of November 19th, 2014. From May 19th 2014 to June 30th 2015 Enel S.p.A. used the authorized mechanism for the storage of regulated information denominated “1Info”, available at the address www.1info.it, managed by Computershare S.p.A. with registered office in Milan and authorized by CONSOB with resolution No. 18852 of April 9th, 2014