Improvement of energy efficiency in sewage treatment plants in Navarre

The government of Navarre prioritises its commitment to sustainability and the fight against climate change to facilitate the transition to a new socio-economic and energy model with a low-carbon economy. Projects for the installation of photovoltaic panels in sewage treatment plants are the result of a series of energy audits carried out in several of the plants and a study conducted by the National Renewable Energy Centre, CENER. After these studies, it was decided to start installing photovoltaic energy parks as the most viable solution to meet the energy saving objectives tico.Tras. A pilot project with successful results in the Beire-Pitillas treatment plant in 2019, the decision is made to extend the installation of solar parks to the largest treatment plants in the Foral Community: " Bajo -Ebro " , " Tafalla -Olite " and " Tudela " . It should be pointed out that the use of renewable energy sources for self-consumption in public buildings and installations serves as an example and may help other entities and the general public to opt for the installation of solar panels to reduce electricity consumption. According to the latest data from the Administrative Registry of Self-Consumption of the Department of Economic and Business Development of the Government of Navarre, updated as of January 2023, solar panel installations for self-consumption have almost multiplied by four in the last year; most of them carried out by private individuals. Taking into account the results of the three treatment plants, there has been an annual greenhouse gas reduction of 207 TCO2/year and a reduction in the annual consumption of primary energy in public buildings of 396,400 kWh/year.