According to a press release shared on September 12th, Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, announced solar panel installations are underway for two of its Port of Barcelona cruise terminals. The roof-mounted solar panels, a first for the port, are capable of supplying more than 100% of the energy needed to power daily operations and will reduce overall electricity consumption.
Carnival Corporation and the Port of Barcelona teamed up with a Catalonia-based solar provider to install the 1,350 panels at Palacruceros (Terminal D) and Helix Cruise Center (Terminal E), which will collectively produce 866,000-plus kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. Work to install the solar panels began in July at Palacruceros and the full project across both terminals is slated for completion by the end of 2024.
Additionally, the surplus power generated by the solar panels, estimated at 32% for Helix Cruise Center alone, can be routed back into the local energy grid to improve the overall utilization of renewable energy generation in the port. In total, over 245,000 kWh of surplus power will be fed into the grid each year – equivalent to the average annual consumption of 60 households.
This transformative project builds on Carnival Corporation’s development of a new solar panel farm unveiled earlier this year at its Amber Cove Cruise Center in the Dominican Republic, one of eight leading port destinations and exclusive islands owned and operated by the company. Together, these projects mark the beginning of the company’s wider efforts to integrate renewable energy across its entire ports and destinations portfolio.
“The shift to renewable energy is an integral part of our global strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize our environmental footprint at the beautiful destinations we visit,” said Karin Plettner Rutishauser, vice president of global ports and destinations strategy for Carnival Corporation. “By partnering with Port of Barcelona, the solar panels at our terminals will significantly contribute to the production of clean energy, benefiting both the local community and our over one million cruise guests who enjoy this vibrant city each year.”
“Through this latest project with Carnival Corporation, we are laying the foundation for our new energy model based on renewable energy, energy storage and a smart electricity grid,” said Lluís Salvadó, president of Port of Barcelona. “Sustainability has always been our main driving force and these efforts have proudly put us at the forefront of generating environmental and economic prosperity in our great port, city and region.”
As one of the most important trade ports in the Mediterranean for more than 2,000 years, the Port of Barcelona has long positioned the city as a leader for the future of environmental innovation. This includes being the first cruise port in the Mediterranean with facilities to supply cruise ships with liquefied natural gas and implementing air quality improvement plans to effectively reduce emissions from port activities.
Carnival Corporation and eight of its cruise lines – AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises (UK) – visit Barcelona throughout the year, with all brands operating full or partial homeporting.
