Barcelona’s clean energy technologies have taken an innovative turn to improve public transportation sustainability, combat climate change, and increase electric vehicle ownership in Europe.

“Sixteen stations of Barcelona’s subway system are part of its new MetroCharge project, whereby the energy from the underground trains’ brakes is used to power the trains and the stations themselves, while the remainder is sent snaking through cables to the surface to power plug-in stations for privately owned vehicles,” as reported by the Associated Press.

The move comes after 2024 UN climate talks where 20 nations, including Spain, committed to doubling their energy efficiency efforts by 2030.

“Spain, with its wide expanses for a Western European country, faces the extra challenge of deploying recharging stations. Spain has 37,000 charging points, below the goal of 100,000 the government had set for now in 2021, according to ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers. So, while the Barcelona subway concept can help chart a course for urban planners, there is still a lot of work to do.”