The company Segunda Casa Adeje, responsible for the Cuna del Alma tourist project in El Puertito de Adeje (south of Tenerife), benefited in March 2023 from a grant of 28,700 euros for the installation of solar panels. These photovoltaic panels, visible since that year next to the initiative's pilot apartment, were financed with European Next Generation funds.
The funds originated from a 2021 aid call by the Canary Islands Government's Ministry of Ecological Transition, which distributed 18.6 million euros. The money, allocated by the Institute for Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), was intended to finance self-consumption and storage projects with renewable energies through the European Union's Recovery and Resilience Mechanism.
The distribution of these funds was carried out through non-competitive bidding, meaning funds were awarded on a first-come, first-served basis until the credit was exhausted. The financing lines covered various applications, including the service sector, other productive sectors, residential areas, public administrations, and the third sector, as well as thermal renewable energies.
According to the developer's accounts, the net subsidy received was 21,579 euros after tax deductions. The total cost for the solar panel installation amounted to 98,600 euros. The company has justified the aid, which was granted on March 13, 2023, and officially registered in January 2025.
The photovoltaic panel installation is visible next to the Cuna del Alma pilot apartment in El Puertito de Adeje. To access these funds, projects had to comply with the principle of not causing significant environmental harm, requiring strategic plans for higher-power installations.
It is relevant to recall that, at the time of receiving the subsidy, the Cuna del Alma project faced three sanctioning proceedings for environmental and heritage violations. Construction work was suspended between October 2022 and the summer of 2024. Two proceedings were dismissed, but a fine of 230,000 euros for the destruction of archaeological heritage was upheld.
Currently, the initiative faces at least six judicial proceedings, related to the protection of endangered plants and the alleged refusal by the Vice-Ministry of Fight against Climate Change to initiate an environmental responsibility procedure. A criminal case has halted a small portion of the project due to potential impact on the coastal area.
