Sevilla

The city of Seville is located on the plain of the Guadalquivir River, South-Western Spain, in the region of Andalusia. Andalusia is characterised by its huge potential in terms of renewable energy production. The main sources of renewable energy developed within the region are wind power and solar energy and in particular photovoltaics and concentrated solar power (CSP). The region is also the national leader in the biomass sector. Sevilla has a municipal population of about 703,000 and a metropolitan population of about 1.2 million, making it the fourth-largest city in Spain and the 31st most populous municipality in the European Union. Sevilla is also an international tourist destination thanks to its historical heritage and monuments. Its Old Town, which is the third largest in Europe with an area of 4km², contains three

UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Alcázar palace complex, the Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. The Sevilla harbour, located about 80 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is the only river port in Spain.

In the framework of the Covenant of Mayors Initiative, the city of Sevilla has committed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 29% by 2020. In addition, Sevilla is working to develop “urban ecology” projects focused on the optimisation of resources and reduction of fossil fuel consumption. The municipal waste management company is implementing for instance a new model of cleaning service relying on electric vehicles. EMVISESA, a public housing company in Sevilla, has spent several years conducting applied research on buildings’ energy efficiency, and on the integration of renewable energies. In addition, the energy consumption of a residential building is currently under study in the framework of the project EFICACIA, funded by regional RDT programmes. To complete these findings, the project SOLEME, funded by a national RDT programme, will develop elevators using solar energy as a power source.