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Solar energy breathes new life into the villages of Extremadura
Share land use with the primary sector or contribute to local development while we generate renewable energy. Odile Rodríguez de la Fuente, a biologist and daughter of the great communicator, guides us through the projects in Valdecaballeros and Logrosán, where solar plants have paved the way towards future opportunities.
A solar plant can be much more than a place to generate renewable energy. This is something that the residents of the Extremadura towns of Valdecaballeros and Logrosán, who have taken part in some of our shared value projects, are well aware of. This is because the construction of photovoltaic plants has been accompanied by a range of long-term sustainability initiatives, both for their communities and for their natural environment.
Agrivoltaics is one of these initiatives. A concept that unifies solar energy and agriculture and aims to use the land around the plant for agriculture, the preservation of biodiversity and the creation of shared value.
We are carrying out this pioneering model in Spain in different parts of the country: Logrosán and Valdecaballeros (Extremadura), Totana (Murcia) and Las Corchas (Seville). In the case of the Valdecaballeros plant, the Extremadura Agricultural Technology Centre (CTAEX) is responsible for the planting of different types of species.
Ana Serrano, head of communication at CTAEX, explains, "plantations of different species have been organised with different planting frameworks and different crop configurations to determine which species are the best suited to the conditions in the plant".
Agrivoltaics uses much of the land occupied by a photovoltaic plant for agriculture, to preserve biodiversity and to create shared value.
So far, four species of aromatic and medicinal plants have been planted: thyme, rosemary, dandelion and aloe vera. Although, according to the head of communication, they are also planning to plant a polyphyte meadow for animal fodder. "The aim is for animals to come and graze inside the plant", she adds.
Valdecaballeros photovoltaic plant (Badajoz).
With this initiative, we not only want to improve the environmental footprint, we also seek to generate value in the local community. "Initiatives such as agrivoltaics give a great socioeconomic boost to the region," says Ana Serrano.
“Initiatives such as agrivoltaics give a great socio-economic boost to the region”.
– Ana Serrano, head of communication at CTAEX.
Creating shared value
The concept of CSV (Creating Shared Value) accompanies all our renewable projects. When designing these projects we factor in the context of each territory to generate links according to their needs. Since 2016 we have contributed 12.5 million euros for the social development of the communities in which we operate.
Valdecaballeros is the living proof that our renewable plants are sustainable and create value for the community. The solar photovoltaic facility, which was commissioned in 2019, has given a fresh lease of life to the town and its inhabitants.
And something similar has happened in Logrosán, which has left behind its mining past. Diego Cantalejo, a local resident and current photovoltaic maintenance technician, worked for an electricity company in the town. But after the crisis his life changed. The photovoltaic plant provided a new opportunity, thanks to a CSV project focused on local development. "We underwent practical and theoretical training to learn everything about solar panels and then we started working at the plant", he explains.
Diego Cantalejo, técnico de mantenimiento de la planta de Logrosán (Cáceres).
"During the construction of the plant the village was filled with people. This influx was especially noticeable in tourism and commerce. This enabled us to make our exit from the 'empty Spain'", adds Cantalejo.
Projects creating shared value represent a great development opportunity for the rural community through the generation of direct and indirect jobs linked to the
renewable energy facilities. "If people continue to be trained, they will no longer have to leave the village," concludes the technician.
“Construction of the photovoltaic plant enabled us to make our exit from the 'empty Spain'”.
– Diego Cantalejo, maintenance technician at the Logrosán plant.
In Logrosán we also find an energy efficiency CSV project. The senior citizens' home managed by the Association for the Training and Employment of Women in Rural Areas (FEMAR) is one of the 15 buildings in the village where we carried out audits to reduce energy consumption. We have also installed self-consumption solar photovoltaic panels that will reduce the electricity bill by a third.
Installation of photovoltaic panels on the FEMAR building (Logrosán, Cáceres).
As the president of FEMAR, Isabel Villa, explains: "Endesa has played a key role in this project. It has installed photovoltaic panels that help us reduce our electricity consumption by a third. They are part of the big FEMAR family, enabling our elderly people to enjoy the quality of life they deserve."