Local entities are beginning to establish sustainable measures through local rules and zoning and planning regulations to promote the construction of green buildings (such as the introduction of innovative urban waste management methods).

National and local governments can also mandate “green” initiatives through laws and regulations. It is common in Spain for the national government to implement “green” initiatives and for local governments to develop these initiatives.

As an example, in terms of heating systems, the national government adopted a royal decree (recently amended) that regulates the energy efficiency and safety requirements of heating facilities in buildings. It develops the action plan of the Energy Savings and Efficiency Strategy in Spain.

As another example, the Barcelona City Council has implemented some guidelines in terms of energy saving and efficiency, such as energy efficiency in buildings in terms of heating, air-conditioning and illumination.

Moreover, the IDAE has published a guideline for regional and local authorities responsible for urban planning and development, which sets out some strategies for promoting high-energy and high-environmental-quality buildings. 

In this sense, the guideline recommends the use of municipal regulations and urban planning regulations, as they can favor the use of building solutions that require less energy, use efficient or renewable energy installations, etc.

On the other hand, recently, some regional governments have developed a territorial sectorial plan for the implementation of renewable energies (i.e., Catalonia, Basque Country, Community of Valencia, Castilla y León, Navarra, etc.).

These plans define the areas available for renewable energies in such a way as to allow the implementation of the renewable power required to cover the country’s electricity demand. In addition to the generation elements, the associated infrastructures, such as evacuation or storage lines, will be taken into account.

The definition of these zones will be based on the application of criteria that must ensure that these projects are compatible with the limitation of the environmental, urban and landscape impact, while guaranteeing that the necessary power can be installed to guarantee the country’s energy supply. At the same time, they will have to ensure that the land is compatible with other uses, such as agricultural activities, and avoid the accumulation of projects in certain areas of the territory.