The Æver Vertical Accelerator for Green Energies, promoted by the Caja de Burgos Foundation and the Castilla y León Institute for Business Competitiveness (ICECYL), has propelled the launch of an innovative solar photovoltaic canopy with an electric-vehicle charger, located in the parking lot of Cerámicas Gala’s facilities.
The initiative sits within its challenge program aimed at solving the energy and environmental challenges faced by any company based in Castilla y León, launched in 2025. With this effort, the organization reinforces its commitment to fostering a regional ecosystem that enables the development of projects related to renewable and sustainable energy production.
The canopy, developed by Zinnia Charge, based in Miranda de Ebro, serves a dual purpose: to allow employees who own electric vehicles and visitors to the facilities to charge their cars while at the same time generating electricity for the factory. The canopy was unveiled during an official visit to the Burgos plant of the company, in the presence of the president and chief executive of the Caja de Burgos Foundation, Rafael Barbero and José Ramón Gutiérrez; Æver’s chief executive, Francisco Javier Cuasante; and the regional director of ICECyL, Virginia Santamaría.
A Challenge-Driven Project
The challenge, funded by Æver with €9,000, asked regional companies to identify an unresolved need in the sustainability space, whose solution, once validated, could reach the market. The winner was Zinnia Charge, which, once awarded, has taken on the development of the project.
According to the company’s chief executive, Eduardo Araguzo, this canopy also addresses a worker need: the ability to charge their electric vehicle while on the job. It is estimated that about 70% of cars in Spain are parked on the street, meaning few people have a charger in their parking area.
The canopy offers a mid-range charging speed that allows for a full recharge of the vehicle during the workday, while protecting the battery. It is noted that fast charging can contribute to accelerated battery wear and shorten the vehicle’s lifespan. Additionally, the canopy unveiled today, featuring a vandal-resistant design, generates solar energy when it is not actively charging, which is used by Cerámicas Gala’s factory.
Meanwhile, Cerámicas Gala’s chief executive Blanca García Alonso highlighted sustainability among the core values of a company that has been in Burgos for 61 years, employs 300 people, and operates on 220,000 square meters of facilities. “What matters to us is that the world we leave behind is better than the one we found,” she said after congratulating all the participants in Æver’s challenge for making it possible to work together to advance projects that contribute to Burgos’ prosperity. “Profitability should not be purely economic; it obliges us to leave wealth in the city,” she added.
“The program is an excellent opportunity for small, medium, and large companies to find a startup that can address a focused challenge—such as reducing CO2 emissions or cutting energy costs for businesses,” added Francisco Javier Cuasante, Æver’s director.
