Metro de Málaga, the concessionaire company of the Junta de Andalucía, has completed the installation of the third and final phase of its photovoltaic solar plant, located in the Talleres y Cocheras area. The Minister of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing, Rocío Díaz, who visited the facilities, stated that this project represents «a significant leap in Metro’s commitment to energy efficiency», as it will achieve a 27% self-consumption rate on the electricity bill.
Rocío Díaz, accompanied by the Mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, reported that this commitment has translated into a total investment of nearly 1.9 million euros across the three phases. She further assured that Metro de Málaga aligns with the objectives of the Junta de Andalucía to «take necessary measures to combat climate change and reduce pollution in our cities and metropolitan areas.»
The new photovoltaic installation doubles the existing capacity and production and is added to phases 1 and 2, operational since 2022 and 2023, respectively.
The Ministry of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing promotes these energy efficiency measures in Andalusian metros through the Public Works Agency. In this case, the concessionaire of Metro de Málaga has been implementing an Energy Efficiency Plan for almost a decade, in line with the commitments made to the regional administration.
This third and final phase of the Metro de Málaga solar plant involved an investment of one million euros for the installation of 1,900 panels located on the embankment between the perimeter wall and the ditch that marks the end of Metro de Málaga’s domain in Los Asperones (north of Talleres y Cocheras).
This operation presented technical complexity due to the specific terrain’s topography. A feasibility study and prior execution of the infrastructure supporting these solar panels were necessary.
Thanks to the third phase, the Metro de Málaga plant, which covers an area of almost 15,000 square meters (distributed between Talleres y Cocheras, the workshop roof primarily, and the five surface stops of Line 1), has doubled its installed capacity and production from the first two phases.
The photovoltaic plant of the subway system under the Public Works Agency features 3,719 installed panels, a total power of 2,068.7 Kilowatt peak (Kwp) – measuring the maximum energy potential that solar panels reach under ideal conditions – and an estimated annual energy production of 3,116 megawatt-hours (Mwh). Based on these figures, Metro de Málaga’s energy self-sufficiency will amount to 27% of its annual energy consumption.
This increased level of energy self-production will reduce Metro de Málaga’s dependency on the conventional electrical grid, particularly crucial considering the consumption growth due to the subway’s expansion to the historic center of Málaga and the addition of four new trains since September 2023. Despite these milestones and the network’s growth, the annual electricity consumption per passenger has decreased, as has the annual electricity consumption per kilometer traveled by the train fleet, as a significant portion of the energy bill has been absorbed by the self-consumption capacity, along with other energy efficiency measures.
With the implementation of this third phase and, according to estimated calculations, it can be affirmed that during the central hours of the day, when there is higher solar production, Metro de Málaga will be completely self-sufficient, meaning it will have zero electrical demand.
Since 2018, the subway system has demonstrated that 100% of the electricity used for its operation comes exclusively from renewable sources, thereby avoiding indirect emissions of greenhouse gases from the electricity generation process. Additionally, Metro de Málaga committed in 2019 to carbon neutrality or Carbon Footprint 0, thanks to the offsetting of CO2 emissions, in line with the EU Carbon Footprint Compensation Program.
Alongside the Minister of Development and the Mayor of Málaga, also present at the event were the Deputy Minister of Development, Mario Muñoz-Atanet; the President of Metro de Málaga, Francisco Gambero; the Territorial Delegate of Development in Málaga, María Rosa Morales; the Mobility Councilor of the City Council, Trinidad Hernández; the Urbanism Councilor of the City Council, Carmen Casero; the General Manager of the Public Works Agency, José María Rivera, and the General Director of Metro de Málaga, Fernando Lozano.