The city of Vigo, the most important in Northwest Spain according to various indicators, has a population of 300 000 inhabitants and a metropolitan area of over half a million people. The city has a powerful industry: shipbuilding, granite, fishing, and fish processing and preservation. The automotive industry is particularly important; the French group PSA Peugeot-Citroën, has located here its second largest factory in Europe. The city also has an important port, which is a commercial hub intentional addition to receiving cruises. Vigo is also a smart and sustainable city, involved in the environment. The city has been awarded, together with 10 other cities in Spain, the “Smart cities Information Society 2015” award.
Regarding energy and environment, the city has launched its “Plan for energy saving and efficiency” which includes a map of the light spots of the city, a study of uses of electric vehicles and the implementation of renewable energy installations (small wind turbines, solar photo-voltaic and solar thermal systems). In collaboration with other European entities, Vigo participates in three projects: SUM (Sustainable Urban Mobility), Mobi.Europe and Greencity.
The houses in Spain are mostly privately owned (85%) and social housing for rent is negligible (2%). In this first phase, nearly 3000 homes have been identified of which will be selected the demonstration houses according to the project requirements.