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Grassroots Solar Power Cooperatives Tackle Fuel Poverty Across Spain
14 Nov
Summary
- Taradell Sostenible cooperative supplies renewable energy to over 100 households
- EU funding helps expand energy communities across Spain
- Renewable energy generation increases 17-fold since 2018 solar tax abolition
In 2025, a grassroots movement of renewable energy cooperatives is transforming local power grids across Spain. It began in the small Catalan town of Taradell, where four activists formed a cooperative, Taradell Sostenible, to promote sustainable practices and supply clean electricity to the community.
Taradell Sostenible has since grown to 111 members and now provides power to over 100 households, including many of the area's most vulnerable citizens. The cooperative installed solar panels on local government buildings, funded by Spain's Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), which is working to expand energy communities nationwide.
Renewable energy generation in Spain has surged 17-fold since 2018, when the government abolished a controversial "sunshine tax" that had previously discouraged solar power adoption. The IDAE is now prioritizing the development of energy communities, providing €148.5 million in initial funding for 200 projects across the country.
These localized, community-driven initiatives are not only supplying affordable, clean electricity but also reducing transportation costs and pollution associated with large-scale renewable projects. They are particularly well-suited to Spain, where 65% of the population lives in apartment blocks rather than individual homes.
