KarunaNews Story

What started as a modest plan to give Taradell residents space to grow their own vegetables has blossomed into one of Spain’s most promising clean energy success stories. The small Catalan town, known for its strong culture of community action, soon saw its early gardening project expand into something much bigger. Local activists realized that if Taradell could organize around growing food, it could also organize around generating its own power. They formed Taradell Sostenible, a cooperative now 111 members strong that provides renewable electricity to more than 100 households, including many of the town’s most vulnerable residents. Supported by funding from Spain’s Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), Taradell Sostenible installed solar panels atop a sports center and a cultural building. The same model is popping up in other parts of Spain as well, helping to provide lower cost energy for households experiencing “fuel poverty,” meaning they cannot afford the upfront costs needed to install home solar systems. This marks a big shift from when the country levied a “sunshine tax” that penalized self-generated solar energy.