British residents in Spain’s picturesque south west are fighting against a huge proposed solar panel park that they claim
will harm the environment,
drain water resources and
damage a protected sanctuary for migrating birds.
The solar park is expected to cover an area of 1,300 sq hectares near the traditional “white villages” of Jimena de la Frontera, Gaucin, Casares and Tesorillo in Andalusia.
There are already large solar energy parks in nearby Cadiz and Seville, and Spain’s left-wing government is promoting renewable energy to cut emissions. But the panels require cleaning to be efficient, using valuable water, and the campaingers are worried about uncontrolled expansion.
Ecologists in Action and a local pressure group SOS Campiña Jimena claim that Fran Gomez, the mayor of Jimena de la Frontera, said last year that the deal was passed and could not be reversed.
A study by Sheffield Hallam University: Forced Uyghur labour behind world’s solar panels, investigation finds
A study by Sheffield Hallam University has urged the world’s leading panel manufacturers not to source materials from Xinjiang.
An investigation by Sheffield Hallam University says some 45% of the world’s supply of a key component in the panels – polysilicon – comes from Xinjiang and is obtained through a vast system of coercion involving the Uighur ethnic minority.
Solar farms may be a huge problem for migratory birds -
Exploding birds on solar farms not a myth after all
Thousands of acres of concave mirrors that magnify the sun toward three towers, heat up the liquid in there and turn turbines, but they weren’t anticipating that there would be hundreds and thousands of what they would call 'flamers,'" Gohmert explained. "Because when the birds fly through — if they survive the windmills — then they hit that magnified sun, explode in flames, and down they go, bird guts all over the mirrors. So, that takes some cleaning up."
Based on the location – near to the southern Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera in the Campo – these may be the companies involved in this particular solar farm -
Spain: 50 MW PV plant developed and sold
Q Cells’ Green Energy Solutions (GES) division has successfully developed a new 50 MW solar PV project in Las Majadillas, near to the southern Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera, and sold a 100% equity stake to NPIII ESG, the international solar fund of solar specialist and investment manager, NextEnergy Capital (NEC).
Q Cells GES division has a development pipeline of more than 5 GW of solar projects in Iberia alone, and a portfolio of solar assets in the Poland, Italy and Germany. Recently, Q Cells’ mother company Hanwha Solutions acquired a 100% equity stake in RES France – the French business unit of renewable energy company.
Q CELLS successfully develops, sells 50 MW Spain solar PV plant to NextPower III
