The Pla Clima Escola Barcelona has a twofold objective: to mitigate the effects of climate change in schools, particularly during heatwaves, and to expand the city’s ecological transition by decarbonising school premises.

Climate control in state schools in Barcelona will directly benefit 55,519 students in the city, corresponding to all the schools where the City Council is responsible for maintenance and renovation work.

The plan will be implemented at 148 primary schools, 3 special education centres and 3 secondary schools, in two stages each lasting three years. The first stage will see 83 centres adapted between 2024 and 2026, with a further 87 to follow between 2027 and 2029. The project also includes 16 all-through schools, even though the responsibility for maintenance at these falls on the Government of Catalonia, which also manages renovations at secondary schools in Barcelona.

The project will be organised through the Barcelona Education Consortium and funded using revenue from the tourist tax.

Schools to generate energy

The installation of solar panelling will enable schools to generate enough power for their own consumption and to improve temperatures on their premises, as well as producing surplus power for the community. The power generated will feed the new aerothermal climate control systems that replace gas installations, improving the energy efficiency of school buildings.

Estimates put the amount of surface space for the installation of solar panels on school rooftops at 181,000 square metres, with a potential annual production capacity of 31.27 GWh/year, a figure in excess of the power needed to cool down spaces in the hot months and to heat premises in the winter.