Cabildo Places Fuerteventura in Global Renewable Debate with Low-Impact Model

The Cabildo of Fuerteventura, through the Department of Territorial Planning, has driven the development of a technical study presented at a top‑level international conference held in Boulder, Colorado, USA, which outlines an innovative methodology to advance decarbonisation while minimising land use.

The work, carried out using the island of Fuerteventura as a case study and commissioned by the Cabildo, was presented by the project’s technical lead, Ricardo Guerrero, and proposes a practical tool that enables public administrations to obtain objective information on the real energy and land requirements in the energy‑transition process.

The study was built on official data, mainly from the Government of the Canary Islands, incorporating conservative assumptions that yield results aligned with reality. The document does not take future technological evolution into account, which would likely further reduce land‑use needs.

Among its main conclusions, it establishes that the island could achieve complete decarbonisation with a maximum land occupation of roughly 11 km², prioritising self‑consumption and the installation of renewable energy on rooftops rather than direct deployment across the territory.

The analysis also shows that land and energy‑demand needs can be significantly lower than those considered in other proposals and by other public bodies, identifying notable differences in territorial occupation that, in some cases, can reach a ratio of up to ten to one.

This approach, based on a conservative methodology validated in an international scientific setting, reinforces the line defended by the Cabildo of Fuerteventura on energy planning, aimed at demonstrating that decarbonisation can progress without adopting models that entail intensive land occupation.

“This study confirms that it is possible to move towards decarbonisation without sacrificing our territory. Fuerteventura must lead a model based on balance and the protection of our environmental values,” said Lola García, President of the Cabildo.

“At the Cabildo we argue that the energy transition must adapt to the reality of each territory, and this work provides data that support a more tailored model, based on self‑consumption and the use of spaces such as rooftops, exactly as we have been advocating,” highlighted Nereida Calero, Councillor for Territorial Planning.

The proposal was praised at the conference for introducing the perspective of territories with limited land and high environmental sensitivity, a viewpoint rarely present in contexts with greater land availability.

Furthermore, the work will be published in a leading international scientific journal in the field of engineering, which strengthens its technical validity and global reach.