WEF – CAP seeks to identify knowledge on what is working and what is not, what is promising, and what can be promoted for capitalization through policy/replication/commercialization support, is presenting ALICE, a new best practice able to reduce the Carbon Footprint of an Irrigation Community in the South-East of Spain by the use of Solar Energy (ALICE).

This study is an effort to meet the three objectives of European policy within the Framework on Climate and Energy by 2030:

• A reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of at least 40% (relative to 1990 levels).
• An increase of at least 27% of the share of renewable energy.
• An improvement of energy efficiency by at least 27%.

Concurrently, it aims to contribute to meeting the SDGs number 7 (affordable and clean energy), and 13 (climate action). 

This study focuses on a water user’s association (WUA) with three different sources of water supply: water transferred between basins, water obtained from wells and water recovered from a wastewater treatment plant, with tertiary treatment.

This study was conducted in an existing facility with great technical complexity and three different sources of water supply, over 1500 plots and an altitude range in plots and reservoirs of more than 400 m. 

In the latter case, pumping is required to supply the highest-level tanks, which guarantee sufficient pressure to irrigate the plots. To this end, the energy consumption of each of the pumping stations has been studied, according to their origin, as well as their associated emissions and after analyzing the different possible solutions using clean energies. 

Subsequently, the amount of emissions avoided by the use of dimensioned photovoltaic plants has been determined and the reduction of greenhouse gases (SDG) has been quantified.

This research is part of an International European Project on the Effects of Climate Change, Sustainable Energy and Wastewater and Regenerated Management, within the European ALICE project (AcceLerate Innovation in urban wastewater management for Climate changE), and more info about the project are available here.

As a relevant research and example of good practice, this study is expected to be highlighted by WEF – CAP in upcoming discussions and workshops related to good policy development.

More information about this study can be found here.