Cleanwatts is launching a REC in Albergaria-a-Velha, Aveiro, with Metalusa, a renowned manufacturer and marketer of equipment for construction and infrastructure companies.

This Community has the capacity to support several local companies and businesses, as well as families in the region, such as the Metalusa workers. And that’s what Cleanwatts is looking for: families, companies and businesses that want to come together and consume clean energy at a lower price, compared to makret tariffs.

The new REC will serve several families and businesses in the Albergaria-a-Velha area, close to the photovoltaic plant. So far, the community already has a few members, but there is still room to welcome more who are interested in participating in this community energy sharing.

She also points out that “energy is one of the biggest challenges for companies in general and industry in particular, not only because of the costs it entails, but also because of the impact it has on their ecological footprint”. “Energy and environmental sustainability are a laudable concern for everyone, and Cleanwatts is committed to helping businessess and industries to be more sustainable and competitive. In addition, companies today have a strong social role that cannot, and should not, be neglected.”

This project, which follows on from others that Cleanwatts has been developing, nationally and internationally, with companies in the industrial sector, aims to “promote sustainability, reduce energy-related costs and combat energy poverty among disadvantaged families in the region”. The photovoltaic plant, with an installed capacity of 630 kWp, installed on Metalusa’s rooftops, came at no cost to the client, with Cleanwatts assuming the entire investment.

Metalusa’s CER, with 1340 panels and a production of 773 MWh/year, enables the company to make average savings of 40% on its electricity tariff, as well as greater energy independence. In addition, the emission of 203 tons of CO2 equivalent per year is avoided.

“It was a very important project,” says José Amorim, Metalusa’s Operations Manager, particularly because of the fundamental role it played in enabling the company to “reduce its production costs, particularly at peak consumption times and at the same time as the highest energy costs, with a consequent improvement in the company’s overall competitiveness.” In his view, the aim of creating a CER is “clearly to improve the efficiency of processes in order to have competitive products and, at the same time, reduce the ecological footprint, as part of a culture of sustainability”.

For Metalusa, the “reduction in production costs (via energy costs), employee satisfaction, the adoption of sustainable policies with the use of renewable energy sources, which serves as an example for the necessary change in human activities, with an impact on climate change” would, undoubtedly, be the main benefits to highlight.

As for employee satisfaction, José Amorim elaborates: “All measures that contribute to helping employees are welcome and help in the process of employee satisfaction and retention. In this sense, this initiative, with its reduction in energy costs for employees, clearly justifies the creation of the Energy Community.”

Joining the REC is completely free and does not imply canceling your contract with your current supplier. Members will retain their supplier for the purchase of energy that the community is unable to supply (for example, energy consumed during the night). Cleanwatts will take care of all the paperwork and members will continue to receive an invoice from their current supplier, with the amount of energy consumed exclusively from them. In addition, members will receive a bill from their local REC for their clean energy consumption. Consumption will not be billed twice, it will just be split according to where the energy comes from.

Anyone interested in joining this community can request information by emailing csm@cleanwatts.energy.