Spain's Solar Farms Proliferation.. Energy Independence Plan Or Hindering Agricultural Economy?

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Report by Hanadi Watfa
MADRID, Oct 7 (KUNA) -- While the proliferation of solar farms in the Spanish countryside and rural areas is seen as a strategy to achieve energy independence via renewable natural resources, some farmers view it as a move hindering the agricultural economy, and sometimes tourism.
But before getting to this argument, one must consider the data related to the issue to see the whole picture.
According to the 2023-30 Spanish comprehensive National Plan for energy and climate, the scheme aims to achieve less dependency on imported energy resources, setting it at around 50 percent in 2023. Spain also aimed to produce 81 percent of its electricity through renewable energy resources.
The State-owned Red Electrica de Espana (Spanish Electric Network) in its 2023 annual report said that Spain managed last April to generate 50 percent of its electricity through renewable energy means, a historical precedence.
The network also indicated that renewable energy infrastructure had increased by 40 percent between 2019-23, and noted that photovoltaic power stations, i.e. solar farms, grew exponentially during the said period by 28 percent in 2023 to be exact from a year earlier. The stations provided 25,549 megawatts, a number, which excluded consumption by families and small enterprises.
To emphasize the role of photovoltaic energy in Spain, the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) in an annual report published last September revealed that solar energy contributed over USD 19.8 billion to GDP, a 1.23 percent contribution.
This sector secured 160,400 direct and indirect job opportunities in 2023, while around 5.7 megawatts were introduced to Spain the same year, an increase of 5.7 percent from last year, which placed Spain in second place at the European level in solar energy use.
As the previous data suggested, it would be no wonder that solar farms proliferated in Spain's rural areas and sometimes near urban regions, which also has some perks due to farmers' long-term contracts renting lands for photovoltaic infrastructure, so seemingly that was a win-win for the economy and the environment.
When it comes to solar farms' production capacity, it really depends on several factors including the size of the land, the quality of solar panels and equipment, weather, obviously exposure to the sun, and much more.
A five to 15 hectare of land used for solar power infrastructure might produce around five to 10 megawatts of energy, while tens of hectares of land was estimated to produce over 50 megawatts of electricity.
Rent of land especially in the southern areas of the country might be around USD 1,647 to USD 1,757) annually for one hectare and it goes down to a measly USD 549 for a hectare in the northern region.
So, what did the government do to encourage the establishment of solar farms, especially knowing that there was an increase of 166 percent between 2016 and 2023 covering 50,000 hectares of farmland? In January of 2023, the Spanish government offered new permits to establish new solar farms on 5,000 hectares to accommodate 123 projects with a production capacity of over 5,000 megawatts.
Concurrently and according to government data, there are 63,166 solar farms producing a whopping 23,649 megawatts covering only 0.2 percent of farmlands.
The Spanish government is also considering expanding solar panels to be erected in wetlands, working on a decree to utilize around 80 percent of such areas to produce electricity via solar energy barring of course any negative impact on surfaces with drinkable water.
While it is "all fine and dandy", the establishment of solar farms did not come without its challenges and obstacles. On the one hand, farmers were pushed to choose between their profession and launching their solar farm venture, which in turn created a bit of a "hullabaloo".
The Asaja Agricultural Association of junior farmers deemed the "invasion" of solar farms as "unacceptable" especially for its impact on the rural environment.
Solar farms that produce over six megawatts usually ward off farmers and cattle herders, impact tourism to the countryside, and other farm-related activities especially if the rent period exceeds 40 years, claimed the association.
It pointed out that farmland owners were in a race to lure those seeking to purchase or rent land for solar farms, eventually negatively affecting the farming industry in Spain.
On the other hand, propagators of solar farms view the matter as beneficial for the environment, giving lands a chance to recover from overfarming as well as providing economic incentives for all. (end)
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