Renewable energy, but not like this

There are plans to turn Andalucía into a mega photovoltaic plant (Solar Farm) and the Guadalhorce Valley (including Álora) will be the centre for large Solar Farms and accompanying infrastructure.

 In recent months, throughout Spain (and especially in Andalucía), a vast number of new projects for Solar Farms have come to light. In the province of Malaga alone we currently know about 110 projects, and a new one appears every day. The fragmentation of these macro projects into many smaller projects is a common practice of the power companies and developers, in the hope that their plans go unnoticed. Larger projects would attract more attention, so they use this dishonest technique to also evade the Environmental Impact Report. We currently know of plans that affect around 10,000,000 square meters (10 million!) of land in the province of Malaga alone, of which 7,000,000sqm affect the region of Álora.

 We are all in favour of a sustainable and ecological energy transition. Mega projects such as these only favour large investors and speculators, both national and foreign. This is just a new speculation bubble, the latest trend, it is a game in which energy companies win and we always lose, and potentially lose everything. We want to encourage the use of solar panels on the roofs as part of a sustainable transition that helps people produce their own clean and cheap energy. We can benefit from the Aid and European funds created for this purpose, since one of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda is the transition towards clean energy. However, if the aid is not requested by the municipalities, it is taken by the energy companies, who always request it.

 How does it affect me if I have land or a house in the area?

 Apart from the great impact on biodiversity and the environment that affects the entire planet, there are direct and concrete harmful effects for the residents of the town, of which no one is told until they have been fully approved and it is too late to avoid them. These solar panels will be mounted on land acquired or rented from the owners (they are rented for a period of between 25 to 50 years) by promoter companies (shell companies) that develop these type of projects, projects that they later sell to large electricity companies, multinational companies such as Iberdrola, Endesa and others.

The trick these companies use is based on the "public utility" rating. With that excuse, once the projects are approved by the authorities, they can expropriate the neighbouring lands with total impunity, without paying the owners for it. Likewise, high voltage towers of about 40 meters high, can be located on any terrain, often without the right of refusal. Power lines that carry the output of the Solar farms are treated in the same way, you can lose your house so that the lines can pass. It may be that in your own garden or orchard they place a high voltage tower or power line crosses it, restricting your access to your land.

 As one might expect, in areas affected by projects of this type, land and houses will lose value and desirability during the uncertainty whilst plans are in progress, during the works and obviously, after their completion. As if all of this weren't bad enough, there are many research surveys which suggest electromagnetic fields increase the risk factor for cancer.

 The installation works involve the creation of new roads and highways for trucks and machinery, if they decide that they pass through your land they will also expropriate it and you will have a road full of trucks at the door of your house, in your orange orchard or in your olive grove, which will become fenced with fences over 2 meters high.

Environmental impact

 The installation of photovoltaic panels (and, worldwide, we are talking about millions) have direct effects on the environment. Loss of biodiversity, desertification, soil contamination by silicon and chemicals (from cleaning plates), rise in temperatures in the area and water contamination. We will lose unique archaeological and geological sites in the world, not to mention the landscape disaster, since much of the attraction of our land is its beauty, so appropriate for walks, sports and other recreational uses.

Labour impact

The macro photovoltaic plant industry does NOT create employment in its facilities. Some jobs will be created for the surveillance of the facilities and very little else, since the cleaning of the plates can be carried out by robots and for the construction of the plants they bring their own specialized workers, they do not hire personnel from the area.

All this will negatively affect the agriculture and livestock of our land, it will only bring unemployment, and ruin due to the abandonment of traditional activities in the area. The lost jobs are irrecoverable, since for this there is no going back, the land where these plates are installed ends up dead, useless and devastated, our beautiful valleys will become deserts and wastelands.

Tourism

 Rural tourism cannot help but be affected by the installation of massive Solar farms. Rural accommodations that are not expropriated will inevitably suffer as visitors shy away from a vista  solar panels, sub stations and powerlines. This will have a knock on affect for businesses in the area, especially businesses related to catering and hospitality, which will have a very important impact on the economy of our small municipality. The consequences will be devastating for the businesses of the town, and therefore, for all its inhabitants.

 We are in this together

 This news affects us all. All these projects, apparently isolated, will be connected to each other through high voltage power lines that will transport the energy via substations, to a distribution terminal located in the city of Malaga.I f we can help neighboring towns to stop the project that affects their locality, we are helping to stop the one that affects ours. We still have time to stop it, we have to fight back and say that we do not want this for our land, that we say YES to clean energy, but not at this price.

Join our group to keep up to date with the proposals and to know how you can help in the fight to save this beautiful area we are proud to call home!!

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