Since this spring, Barbate, one of the most beautiful municipalities in the province of Cádiz, will not only attract visitors for its paradisiacal beaches, its family-friendly atmosphere, or its renowned tuna, but also for its lighting.
A municipality of such character — with a picturesque historic center and a network of narrow, intertwining streets — deserves to be illuminated in the best possible way. Not only to showcase the beauty of its streets, squares, and parks, or to achieve efficient lighting, but also to make them as safe as possible for both residents and visitors.
The renovation of the public lighting system involves multiple phases and several key players.
On one hand, EnergyTAS, a company specialized in the public lighting sector, has been in charge of providing project management services to help Barbate make the transition toward efficient, environmentally friendly, and low-consumption lighting.
On the other hand, the management of the public lighting system has been formally awarded to SITELEC, a leading energy services company, which is now responsible for managing all public lighting in the town of Barbate.
The work carried out by EnergyTAS specialists is characterized by its meticulous precision, ensuring that no errors or oversights occur at any stage of the project.
In the first phase of the project, currently underway, the team is repairing electrical lines, replacing and/or refurbishing most of the 30 control cabinets, and eliminating numerous unauthorized or non-compliant electrical splices.
In total, 53% of the lighting control cabinets were found to be in poor condition externally, and 47% had deficiencies in their internal components. Additionally, more than 10,000 meters of damaged cable — often patched in underground boxes — have been replaced.
This explains why residents have recently experienced occasional power interruptions.
At present, new safety systems are being implemented to correct past malpractices and ensure full electrical compliance.
Public Safety: The primary objective
At the same time, all obsolete and inefficient LED technology is being replaced with new luminaires that, while using less power, deliver higher luminous flux, resulting in consistent lighting uniformity across all streets.
This marks a major step forward for the safety of both Barbate’s residents and visitors. Together, these efforts will make Barbate one of the most energy-efficient municipalities in Andalusia.
During the final adjustment phase, residents are invited to collaborate to ensure the lighting levels are as precise as possible.
It’s simple — they can report areas requiring special attention or any lighting incidents via an easy-to-use mobile app developed by SITELEC.
A Green public lighting system
Environmental conservation is among the municipality’s top priorities.
Barbate now stands out as one of the pioneering municipalities to supply its public lighting entirely with 100% renewable energy.
Thanks to the energy efficiency contract with SITELEC, Barbate has achieved not only the replacement of its luminaires with LED technology and a reduction in energy consumption of nearly one million kilowatt-hours per year, but also a complete switch to green energy supply — becoming the first municipality in all of Andalusia with fully efficient and sustainable public lighting.
The reduction of light pollution will also become a major tourist attraction, allowing visitors to enjoy starry skies and reconnect with nature — without ever leaving the town.
Currently, EnergyTAS is finalizing the study of changes to the energy supplier, as well as adjustments to each individual electricity contract, where several technical irregularities and supply failures had previously been identified.
This project represents not only a milestone in energy efficiency and public safety, but also a financial success.
It has generated savings of €100,000 for the Town Council, which has incurred no costs, thanks to SITELEC, the awarded company and the entity responsible for ensuring full compliance and maintenance throughout the project’s duration.