Incentives for solar power – at last
Greenpeace: Spain has to ‘give a more prominent role to one of the greatest resources we have – namely the sun’
THE REGIONAL government is set to approve a decree which will ‘facilitate’ investment in solar power in the Valencia region.
Regional president Ximo Puig has established the ambitious goal of generating 90% of all energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Sr Puig said the regulations, which will be passed next month, will make the Valencia region a ‘reference point for clean energy’ in Spain.
He noted that by helping investment in solar power, it will become one of the main sources of green energy – and will help the region to reach its target in 10 years’ time.
Solar power plants will be classified as ‘strategic investments’, which will encourage companies and financial institutions to pump money into the sector, he said.
The legislation will also do away with ‘complicated bureaucracy’ which slows down new projects and puts off potential investors.
“We have to change administrative structures and regulations which have not worked,” he stated, adding that these were ‘stitches which have to be broken’ because they have prevented renewable energy from being a ‘competitive industry that will end our dependency on fossil fuels’.
The ‘ecological transition’ will have to be carried out in conjunction with town halls, he added.
Sr Puig also noted that there is an ‘enormous opportunity’ to secure investment from the EU for renewable energy plants.
He made the announcement during a visit to the X-Elio-run solar power plant in Jijona, which is set to be the largest of its kind in the Valencia region.
A total of €40 million is being invested in the project.
The plant, which will initially cover some 66 hectares of land, will be able to supply power to around 25,000 homes.
Energy giant Iberdrola is expanding the local substation so it can ‘distribute this new energy’. Sr Puig praised Jijona mayoress Isabel López and Lluís Noguera, managing director of energy company XElio for their work to promote renewable energy.
Greenpeace comments
The Valencia initiative has come as Greenpeace seeks to pressure regional and national governments to take the lead on solar power.
The ecologists pointed out that Spain has more solar radiation and therefore potential for solar energy than any other country in Europe.
Their spokeswoman for renewable energy, María Prado noted that solar energy ‘has to play a role’ in the country’s economic recovery from the current crisis, which will also help the fight against climate change.
Although 60,000 people are employed by the solar energy industry in Spain, it could be many more, she noted.
“It makes no sense for Spain not to give a more prominent role to one of the greatest resources we have – namely the sun,” she stated.
According to Sra Prado, Spain has managed to regain lost ground in recent years after ‘numerous’ renewable energy policies were aborted in 2008.
However, it is still only covering 5.5% of annual energy demand through this source, according to Greenpeace – and is lagging far behind countries such as Germany.
Additionally, costs have come down by more than 80% in the last decade to make it the ‘cheapest renewable energy’.
According to Greenpeace, solar energy production now costs ‘less than coal, gas and nuclear energy’.
Sra Prado said solar technology is so accessible and simple that in the coming years everyone should be able to have panels to produce their own energy and save on bills.
“This is the same revolution that we had in the 1990s with mobile phones,” she said.
“All we need is more of a push from governments to accelerate the process.
“This is our golden opportunity as citizens to fight against climate change.”
Greenpeace has set out a number of changes to legislation which it says are needed to boost home production of energy.
It includes an overhaul of the way that household bills are drawn up so that the ‘fixed’ part of the cost is reduced.
In this way home energy production would bring down the cost of bills more – and ‘show people that taking part in the energy transition’ also helps them financially.