Convention International I MICE News und Trends aus der MICE – Branche
Fira de Barcelona will consume zero-mile green energy over the next few years, which will be supplied by Endesa to the three venues of Montjuïc, Gran Via and CCIB. The public tender awarded foresees that all the electricity consumed by the trade fair institution will continue to come from renewable sources and that 40% of it will come directly from nearby production plants in order to reduce distribution losses. As a result, Fira strengthens its commitment to environmental sustainability and green energy.
The agreement includes the supply of 33 GWh/year to cover the power needs of the venues. This includes the consumption of the exhibitors‘ stands, the meeting rooms, as well as the institution’s own activity, the lighting of the facilities and the consumption of the equipment and systems of the facilities.
Of the total energy supplied, 40% will come directly from the Les Forques and Montargull wind farms (in La Conca de Barberà and La Segarra counties), owned by Enel Green Power España, Endesa’s renewable energy subsidiary. This is also a commitment to efficiency since the shorter the distance between the point of generation and the point of consumption, the lower the losses in distribution, which are 9% on average according to 2018 data from the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC). The remaining 60% of the electricity consumed by Fira will come from other green energy production centers.
The commitment to renewable energy will avoid the emission of 8,547 tons of CO2 each year, the equivalent of the absorption capacity of 14,412 trees for 40 years, according to data from Endesa.
Since 2020, 100% of the energy consumed by Fira de Barcelona comes from renewable sources. Likewise, two years ago, 18 public charging points for vehicles were installed in the Montjuïc and Gran Via venues, which can be used by visitors, local companies and subscribers. These points are added to the 12 stations located inside the Gran Via venue for companies work on the build-up of events.
Desde 2020 el 100% de la energía que consume Fira de Barcelona proviene de fuentes renovables. Igualmente, hace dos años se instalaron 18 puntos de recarga para vehículos de uso público en los recintos de Montjuïc y Gran Via, que pueden utilizar tanto visitantes como empresas de la zona y abonados. Estos puntos se suman a 12 estaciones más ubicadas dentro del recinto de Gran Vía y destinadas empresas montadoras y proveedoras de la institución ferial.
Other sustainable actions
Fira’s commitment to sustainability over the last few years has materialized in the achievement of ISO 14001, the most widely recognized international certification in the field of environmental management. In addition, the trade fair institution also has the „Commitment to Sustainable Tourism Destination Barcelona Biosphere“ distinction and has joined the „Net Zero Carbon Events“ initiative of the World Events Industry Council.
In this sense, the institution is a pioneer in Spain in equipping an entire fairground (Gran Via) with IoT technology to optimize energy consumption related to air conditioning. It is also worth noting that the Gran Via venue itself has one of the largest rooftop photovoltaic parks in the world, with 25,947 panels on 135,000 m2 that generate 5.86 GWh of electricity per year, avoiding the emission of more than 2,200 tons of CO2. Fira also establishes alliances with public organizations and event organizers to promote good practices in sustainability, offers the possibility of choosing stands with lower environmental impact and using a service for calculating and offsetting the „carbon footprint“.
