The neighborhood of Schlierberg in the German city of Freiburg (or Friburgo in Spanish) is an example of sustainability for the world: it is completely self-sufficient, in fact it generates four times more energy than it consumes. The neighborhood consists of 59 wooden houses, each equipped with photovoltaic solar panels that cover their large roofs, with the capacity to generate 445 kWp per house. The system is connected to the general grid, so the electricity companies pay the neighborhood for the most energy produced.

The neighborhood, built on 11,000 m² of land occupied until the early 90s by a military base, is also built with materials that respect the environment, and the design of the houses It is designed to reuse rainwater and minimize the need for heating and air conditioning due to its thermal insulation. The roofs, with wide eaves, are designed to let the sun in in winter and protect the rooms in summer.

Thanks to its design, the neighborhood avoids emitting around 500 tons of CO2, according to an estimate by project architect Rolf Disch. The city also promotes, among others, sustainable mobility with more than 400 km of cycle paths; It is not for nothing that Freiburg is known as the green capital of Germany.

The city of Freiburg receives about 1,800 hours of sunshine a year, more or less like Santander, and one can imagine what could be achieved in more southern cities like Huelva, with more than 3,100 hours of sunshine per year, if the example of Schlierberg were followed.