The energy companies have a mission before the ‘boom’ of renewable projects: promote the coexistence of their photovoltaic solar plants and wind farms with biodiversity. In this sense, solar energy and the primary sector have been demonstrating that they not only coexist in the same space, but that they can complement each other and benefit from each other. For example, the dual use of land for agriculture and energy alleviates the pressure on ecosystems and biodiversity, which are affected when growing areas are expanded.
Iberdrola is working on initiatives that combine the installation of renewable projects with the generation and use of the ecosystem services generated in its plants, such as livestock use, beekeeping, and the cultivation of aromatics. The coexistence of renewable generation plants with activities related to sustainable agriculture, livestock or horticulture are also a sign of the commitment to establishing rural employment. “Our main developments of photovoltaic plants are becoming true refuges for biodiversity, through the creation and conservation of ecosystems and the absence of human activity inside the enclosures”, the company emphasizes.
Through its international program of ‘startups’, called Perseo, the electric company supports solutions that combine photovoltaic plants with viticulture, fruit trees, animal welfare and irrigation. For example, the initiative of the Spanish company EcoEnergías del Guadiana has developed a pilot project to combine the cultivation of tomatoes under fixed or retractable structures that support solar panels, reducing heat stress on plants and reducing hail damage, in addition to save water and improve harvest results.
shepherd among wind turbines
On the other hand, the Monte Forgoselo wind farm, in Galicia, has more than 500 vacations and a hundred years of horses. There are several farmers who let their animals graze among the 37 wind turbines that supply energy to more than 7,000 homes. In addition, this space has routes that can be done on foot or by bicycle and has several viewpoints. In Badajoz, the Núñez de Balboa plant sees more than 1,200 sheep graze, which rotates allowing plant species to grow. Also, during the hottest months, the animals benefit from the shade of the plates where they rest and are relieved from the high temperatures in the area. This facility has 500 MW of power, being the largest in Europe and the largest in operation by Iberdrola in the world.
Sheep at the Núñez de Balboa III photovoltaic plant (Extremadura).
Bees also live with solar panels. In Puebla de Guzmán (Huelva) and Núñez de Balboa (Badajoz), Iberdrola and Tesela The project, which will continue to be developed in other photovoltaic plants of the company in the country, seeks to demonstrate how the location of pollinators in renewable facilities can improve the stability of ecosystems and enhance crop yields on rural farmland. In the photovoltaic parks, the bees have land free of herbicides and agricultural chemicals because the growth of herbs is controlled by cattle grazing.
With the aim of advancing in the energy transition towards decarbonisation and recognizing the best initiatives for coexistence between renewable energies, nature and people, the ‘Convive Program’ was born. These awards are intended to recognize and give visibility to alliances, companies, actions or local entities, which exemplify the integration of renewable energies with socioeconomic development and the conservation of biodiversity in Spain. On the other hand, Endesa’s solar plants have become natural spaces for the protection and recovery of flora and fauna.
Totana (Murcia) has become a paradigm of these oases for environmental conservation. Since this solar plant came into operation in 2021, Endesa and Enel Green Power Spain decided to dedicate 8 hectares of land to recover and return to its natural habitat an area that until then had been dedicated to intensive cultivation and was significantly degraded by the use of phytosanitary products or plastics for this purpose. Two years later, a reserve arose in its ecological corridor, in which flora and fauna have proliferated naturally thanks to the restoration of the habitat and the provision of a space dedicated to the ecological cultivation of legumes and cereals without use.
Carrasquillo wind farm, in Palencia.
In the area you can also see unique bird species such as stone curlews, sandgrouse, European roller or birds of prey such as the marsh harrier, the sparrow hawk, or the booted eagle. One of the latest facilities in which Endesa is developing a new ecological island is the Veracruz solar plant, located between Mérida and Almendralejo and in operation since December 2021. It is a 10-hectare surface with natural waterlogging of the land that It generates an endorheic type lagoon that allows to host species linked to aquatic environments.
The installation of the solar has made it possible to identify and protect this natural flooding and to see in this habitat more than a hundred specimens of different species of birds and amphibians. In Carmona (Seville), the electricity account with the first solar apiary in Spain that has come to produce 500 kilos of emission-free honey. It is also installing nests, perches, insect hotels and drinking fountains in its solar plants in Huelva (San Antonio), Seville (Torrepalma and Casaquemada) and Málaga (La Vega I and II). In all of them, an improvement and destruction of the birdlife and biodiversity in general is already being observed, finding in the solar plants a safe environment in which to nest, find food and free of pesticides and agro-industrial pressure.
Sheep grazing in a solar installation.
In Naturgy, on April 21, they detected in the Picones I, II and III photovoltaic plants of Porzuna (Ciudad Real), the existence of a bird’s nest on a tracking motor, just below a photovoltaic plate. The ‘tracker’ is the device that allows the plates to rotate depending on the orientation of the sun. The energy company has protected the area from any disturbance and all movement of the ‘tracker’ and any work that could affect the nest was prevented. They identified a Great Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) nest with three eggs and two chicks. This species is included in the regional catalog of threatened species of Castilla La Mancha.
An ornithologist carried out a follow-up throughout the following month and was able to verify how the three eggs in the nest came to term and three chicks were born that ended up flying, which allowed the tracking motor to start working again. “These actions are marked in Naturgy’s commitment to respect the natural capital, biodiversity and cultural heritage in the environments where the group’s activity is carried out, identifying, valuing and monitoring during the life cycle of the facilities, in order to the impacts and dependencies on the environment”, the company stresses.
floating solar
Another initiative that stands out within the sector was carried out by Acciona Energía three years ago. On July 27, 2020, the first floating photovoltaic solar plant connected to the electricity grid in Spain was inaugurated in the Sierra Brava reservoir (Extremadura). This installation is an example of coexistence with the local fauna. The environmental actions of the project include the installation of two floating islands to favor the nesting of birds in the area and the provision of nest boxes for the lesser kestrel, a protected species that inhabits the area. The monitoring program monitors the interaction of birds and fish fauna with the plant and the effectiveness of support measures.
The floating solar also presents a higher performance thanks to the lower ambient temperature caused by the proximity of the water, and can be placed on surfaces with high solar exposure and less shading. Nor does it compete with land for agricultural use and it is an alternative to conventional photovoltaic plants for places where there is a shortage of dry land. Floating photovoltaics also reduce water evaporation in reservoirs and improve their quality by achieving less algae growth.
Aloe vera plantation in Valdecaballeros.
Repsol integrates the management of local livestock into the operation of its solar plants. Through the alliance with the Valdecaballeros Livestock Association, more than 1,400 sheep contribute to cleaning the floor of the plant that the company has in this town in Badajoz, feeding while keeping the soil in good condition for daily operation at the facility. . Similarly, in Kappa, located in Manzanares (Ciudad Real), more than 900 sheep feed on the grass that grows between the solar panels. Also, in September of last year, it allied with the ‘startup’ Powerfultree to explore projects with agrovoltaic technology in Spain. energy sector and business management.
Through the ‘Sumamos Energías’ programme, Cepsa works hand in hand with all the town councils that want to join in the design and development of actions that generate socio-economic value and promote the natural capital of their municipality. It is based on “transparent and proactive” co-design and dialogue, which seeks to create a tractor effect in the territory and maximum social and environmental integration. Each of these lines of action is accompanied by a series of initiatives linked to the nature of the projects and adapted to the needs of each locality and its neighbours.