The Ecodes Foundation and the Rey Juan Carlos University compile examples of how to “design models for the implementation of renewable energies with great social acceptance” The work compiles photovoltaic and wind projects “that demonstrate a renewable use with special respect for biodiversity and with special consideration for the local population”.
The study ranges from site selection to previous actions with local populations, actions during the construction and operation phase and measures for socio-economic integration in the territories; all with the support of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Its authors recall that for the massive installation of renewable energies in which Spain is immersed, “obvious aspects” must be considered, such as the resource of sun and wind, the cost of each technology or the implementation times. But also other “non-technical elements that are often forgotten or put in the background before the urgency and need for more renewable energies”, related to the cultural and socioeconomic characteristics of each territory, respect for the environment and the preservation of biodiversity.
Taking these variables into account and integrating them into the project itself is an invaluable help to obtain social approval in the territories of emptied Spain, where the massive implementation of renewable energy facilities will take place”.
The profile of the projects chosen in the study is diverse.
At one end is one of the largest photovoltaic plants in Europe, the Talayuela Solar park, of 300 megawatts (MW), of Statkraft, located in Talayuela (Cáceres): “It has generated positive impacts in different areas with an environmental, economic and social character both during construction and in operation and maintenance thanks to the preventive, corrective and compensatory measures established” in the Environmental Impact Study and in the Environmental Impact Statement.
At the other extreme, by size, is a small photovoltaic installation of 2MW in Yecla (Murcia) mounted by a limited company of 80 partners, individuals and small companies in the area that have decided to invest in this technology. A small project in which “the solar resource is shared among local families and SMEs, so the socioeconomic benefits are for the area as a whole”.
“Minimal impact”
The first project selected by the report is a 57 MW photovoltaic park that Madrid’s Aurinka is developing in Belorado (Burgos). After a preliminary study, “land with minimum environmental, agricultural and maximum social benefit” was chosen, always in contact with local authorities and interest groups. Among other initiatives, “it proposes to pay something above the market for wheat to farmers whose land is outside the park, as long as they commit not to use phytosanitary products. This is how birds like bustards are encouraged to nest”.
It is also about to develop the Cordovilla photovoltaic project (150 MW) that the British Esparity Solar is processing in Ibargoiti (Navarra). With a “null” visual impact due to the chosen location, according to the study, to minimize its environmental impact, “many compensatory measures” have been taken to protect biodiversity, especially bearded vulture populations.
Of Enel’s Las Corchas and Los Naranjos photovoltaic parks in Carmona and La Rinconada (Seville), with 100 MW, the initiatives to boost the primary or tertiary sector linked to the project that generate more economic activity and employment in the area stand out, such as a pioneering project of hybridization of beekeeping and renewable energies.
And, the Minglanilla complex (Cuenca), also owned by the owner of Endesa, with 100 MW and recently connected, highlights how it has achieved a shared land use with saffron cultivation and grazing, awareness measures for the local population and the promotion of sustainable measures.
In wind power, the first case that stands out is that of Muras (611 inhabitants), a municipality in Lugo that houses 20 wind farms developed between 1995 and 2009 by various companies in the sector totaling 432 MW. There the local authorities managed to “redirect an unfavorable situation”, with “practices of dubious ethics in the initial moments of the projects”, such as the sale of land “at negligible prices” and threats of expropriation. The involvement of the city council and the implementation of direct aid (payment of the electricity bill conditioned to the level of income, birth rate, improvement of infrastructures …) have allowed to promote the economic and social development of the area and fix population.
Another example is that of Acciona’s wind farms in Falces (Navarra), with some 106 MW. The local council has used the additional revenue they generate (a third of their total budget) to build a civic center, essential shops and restaurants.
Also the initiatives that have allowed the development of the Iberdrola complex in Higueruela (Albacete), of 161 MW, at the time, one of the largest in the world. The city council saw its budget increased by 40% since its construction. It has invested the funds received in building a residence for the elderly, opening a school canteen, providing free daily transport for high school and university students to Albacete, opening a toy library, a nursery school and building a sports center.
“Social” license
As the authors of the study point out, “the avalanche of projects that flies over the territory will have to have, in addition to administrative license, also environmental and social license … Renewable energies must be an element of progress and not generate a loss of value in economic activities such as agriculture, livestock, forest management or tourism. There must also be greater communication and active collaboration between the promoters and the agents involved, as well as advisory mechanisms that support the municipalities in relation to the management of aid, taxes collected or their active participation in the project. “
El actual plan nacional integrado de energía y clima (PNIEC), que el Gobierno va a revisar al alza, contempla tener instalados en el año 2030 un total de 50,3 GW de eólica, frente a los 29,7 GW actuales, y 39,2 GW de fotovoltaica, frente a los actuales 18,5 GW. A ello se sumarían otros 14 GW de autoconsumo fotovoltaico, según las previsiones más optimistas del Gobierno, que “es muy probable que se superen”, según el estudio, aunque esta tecnología estaría “muy lejos” de cubrir la potencia fotovoltaica necesaria para cumplir los objetivos que España ha comprometido con la UE.
