Solar panels in Canillas de Albaida

Canillas de Albaida is a small village of just over 800 people, at almost 580 metres and within the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama Natural Park area. More than a third of its residents are foreign nationals, half of them British, and many live in cortijos and country houses spread among olive groves, avocado terraces and vines. These homes have pools, irrigation or a water pump, and sometimes a supply that cuts out, which is exactly where a well-designed solar system earns its keep.

In the village, with narrow streets and Arab-tile roofs, we plan how materials get to the house and place the panels on the best-facing roof slopes. On cortijos we look at roof or ground mounting, the well pump, avocado irrigation and the pool filter, and set those loads to run in the sunny hours. If the power cuts out, we propose a battery with backup output for the essential circuits.