Summer is both a challenge and an opportunity for energy efficiency, given that consumption patterns for tourist establishments and homes change.
Although this is the period with the highest number of hours of natural light in the year, energy consumption skyrockets because high temperatures force more intensive use of domestic and industrial air conditioning systems.
As a counterpoint to the winter, when heating is mainly fossil-fuel based (natural gas or diesel boilers), the summer largely consists of electric consumption. In places like Spain, this is a strategic opportunity. This is because the generation of energy from clean, renewable sources, like solar and wind, is increasingly common.
Water consumption also increases during the summer, due to heat, tourism, and activities like filling swimming pools or irrigating green spaces. Although they may seem unrelated, water and energy are closely connected. Purifying, pumping, and treating water require huge amounts of energy. Water operators like Canal de Isabel II are more than aware of this. One of our strategic objectives for 2030 is to generate 100% of the energy we consume with clean or high-efficiency energies.
The high season for tourism creates an extraordinary demand for cooling, lighting, and essential hotel services (like laundries and food cold chains), which can jeopardise the load capacity of certain tourist destinations.
Supply and Demand Solutions
Fortunately, in Spain, more and more renewable and clean energies are being routed into the grid. They now account for over half of the energy we generate. This decreases greenhouse gas emissions and puts us on the paths set out by the European Union for reduction.
To feed them to the electrical grid, we have the Centro de Control de Energías Renovables (Renewable Energy Control Centre) (CECRE), managed by Red Eléctrica. This centre monitors renewable electricity production to safely integrate green energy into the grid. With over 20 years of activity, this centre was pioneer in the integration of renewables into the system, and even today is an international leader.
In terms of consumption, the tourist industry is developing both one-off solutions and structural programmes to improve energy efficiency. In addition to the obvious environmental benefits, these actions generally provide a fast return on investment. One example of this is the replacement of inefficient bulbs with smart LED lights or implementing wet cleaning laundry systems, which are more efficient and pollute less.
This commitment to integrating sustainability and environmental responsibility into tourism is recognised through the national Sostenibilidad Turística (Sustainable Tourism) certification for establishments, awarded by the Instituto para la Calidad Turística (Spanish Institute for Tourism Quality and Sustainability) (ICTES) and the international Biosphere certification granted by the Responsible Tourism Institute (RTI). These certifications acknowledge not only the good practises of individual establishments, but also the sustainability of destinations as a whole.
In a world with ever-increasing temperatures that is more and more dependent on air conditioning, the United Nations invites us to walk a path toward sustainable and fair cooling. Actions aimed at reducing the heat island effect, like cool or green covers, or at a larger scale, district cooling, offer efficient and sustainable solutions.
In our homes, we can also improve energy efficiency by using the Home Heating and Cooling Comparison Tool. Developed by the Fundación Renovables, this defines the best solution for each individual case.
And, of course, when summer arrives and we become tourists, our environmental impact travels with us, so we must keep up the good habits. Simple gestures like moderating our air conditioning use at hotels, reusing towels, and choosing accommodations that are certified or solar self-powered can reduce the establishment’s energy consumption and lead us toward more sustainable tourism.
