Renewable energies are taking positions in the territory, a circumstance that is changing the perception of the 56% of Spaniards who are against the installation of solar plants on farmland.
It is one of the great conclusions drawn from the study carried out by GAD3 and which accredits a change of mind in Spanish public opinion regarding solar plantswhich is predominantly committed to an energy transition model that respects the countryside, the landscape and rural communities.
The survey, presented at an event organized by the Association of Agri-Food Journalists (APAE), in collaboration with SOS Rural, analyzes the perception of the Spanish population regarding photovoltaic plantsas well as its future impact on the field and possible solutions.
Lack of knowledge of the population
Regarding the perception that Spaniards have of photovoltaic plants, despite the fact that more than 75% claim to know its existencethe survey highlights the great lack of background knowledge that exists about them.
So much so that half of the Spanish population The possibility of solar plants being installed on farmland is unknowndespite the fact that 56% are opposed to this use of agricultural land.
Furthermore, practically a third do not know the average size of solar plantsand 70% of the population believes that the photovoltaic companies themselves are in charge of managing the tons of industrial waste that they generate. In contrast, only 6% know that This responsibility falls on the owners of the land, that is, the small landowners.
Presentation of the GAD3 study promoted by SOS Rural
Macroplant proliferation
According to the results of the report, there is greater knowledge about the negative consequences of the proliferation of solar macroplants in the territory.
In this sense, 7 out of 10 Spaniards consider that solar plants cause a reduction in the surface area of ​​land available for cultivation. Among other negative effects of these facilities, their impact on depopulation and the price of food is identified.
Furthermore, for the majority of the population, the installation of solar plants on agricultural land would cause a negative effect on food availability.
Energy transition
For some Spaniards, large multinational companies are, in addition to the main owners of solar plants, the great beneficiaries of their existence. Only a quarter of those interviewed believes that the beneficiary is the population as a wholeand only 19% that it is the environment.
Furthermore, the main reason that Spaniards point out for the use of solar plants in Spain is compliance with the energy transition. Nevertheless, most also indicate that it is due to other factors like him greenwashingcertain economic incentives and pressure from lobbies.
Lourdes Zuriaga, president of APAE and host of the event, states that «There is some concern within part of the agricultural sector regarding the proliferation of solar plants and its implementation on agricultural land. “We consider that this is a good opportunity to delve deeper into this topic, based on a study on which we will have the opportunity to raise different questions.”
Balance in rural areas
MarÃa MartÃn, Director of Communication at GAD3, points out that “the results of the GAD3 analysis reveal that, although Spanish society recognizes the value of solar plants as a key tool in the fight against climate change, their development must not compromise local sustainability, the landscape or the agri-food sector».
According to the head of GAD3, “the study highlights a clear conclusion: the expansion of renewable energies dIt must go hand in hand with comprehensive planning that guarantees a balance fair for rural areas, especially for the primary sector, promoting development that is beneficial for all actors involved.
Food sovereignty
For his part, Javier Poza Llorente, general secretary of SOS Rural, points out that “the study only confirms what we have been defending at SOS Rural: the need for a regulatory framework that regulates photovoltaics and that protects farmland (especially the most fertile) in Spain.
For the general secretary of SOS Rural, «there is unrest within society. Citizens want a more sustainable society, but not at any price, and certainly They do not want to exchange energy sovereignty for food sovereignty. Both must be compatible. We cannot make the same mistakes as in the past, and that is why it is necessary that we reflect on the energy transition model we want. At SOS Rural we will continue working for it.
Solar macroplant
Concern about solar plants
Among the groups that most denounce the impact negative of the photovoltaic plants are the people belonging to the primary agricultural sectorin line with another of the conclusions drawn by the study which reflects that “Spanish people who live with photovoltaic plants in their daily lives are the ones who perceive their negative effects the most.”
According to the survey data, those who claim to know and have seen a solar plant consider to a greater extent that the proliferation of these installations produces negative impacts on the agricultural sector and on the landscapethan those who do not know them or have never seen them.
Specifically, among current and former workers in the primary agricultural sector, there is a broader perception that the use of solar plants increases pollution emissions and depopulation in rural areas than among the rest of the occupational groups.
Negative impacts
In the economic aspect, although 7 out of 10 Spaniards consider that solar plants are beneficial in terms of job creation and economic reactivation, the majority believe that its use has rather negative effects in other areassuch as the landscape, fauna and flora or the agricultural sector.
81% of the Spanish population affirms not having perceived an improvement in their family finances As a result of the proliferation of solar plants in the territory, a higher percentage among current and former workers in the primary sector – agricultural and non-agricultural.
Uncontrolled proliferation
SOS Rural points out that it has been warning for some time that “the uncontrolled proliferation of macroplants on farmland represents a threat to rural areasas well as the natural environment, which is drastically altered in an irreversible way.
There are some especially striking cases such as in the Region of Murcia, where there are currently irrigated lands declared of national interest that are being «tiled with photovoltaic panelsdamaging valuable soil and consequently harming the entire agricultural activity of the region,” they denounce from SOS Rural.
