ARCHIVED - Solar power projects in Murcia will be rejected if they are not integrated into the landscape
The regional government establishes aesthetic criteria for solar panels as well as ecological ones
The solar power plants which are being installed in many parts of the Region of Murcia, taking advantage of the climate of the Costa Cálida while at the same time contributing to the all-important process of ecological transition, continue to be a source of considerable controversy, and the issue has hit the headlines again this week after it emerged that the regional government will take into account aesthetic considerations in deciding whether to grant approval to new projects.
The regional government department of Development is reported by La Verdad to have stated that applications to install solar panels will be rejected unless they are “integrated” into the landscape, an admirable intention but one which raises various questions, among them the fact that whether a feature is integrated or not would appear to be a subjective opinion rather than one which can be established using fixed criteria.
In addition, in the eyes of many the policy illustrates the paradox that on the one hand solar power is extremely valuable in both environmental and economic terms, but on the other hand the “solar farms” can be seen as an eyesore. The matter is further complicated by the fact that many ideal sites for solar power generation are on non-productive land which is far from picturesque in its natural state, and it could be argued that what would be a blot on the landscape in a spectacular valley is by no means as offensive on a piece of isolated scrubland.
The statement of the government’s policy has come as a response to a sharp increase in the number of solar power projects seeking approval in the Region, and it means that apart from the environmental impact reports which are already required the relevant department will now also need to bear in mind a document, currently being drafted, entitled “Instruction for the Landscape Integration of Photovoltaic Plants in the Region of Murcia”. This document will establish landscaping as a “predominant factor”, according to the report, meaning that the aesthetic effect on the landscape must be taken into account throughout the project and not as an afterthought.
At the same time, it is reported that “measures and actions to increase the quality of the landscape” will be required, as well as guarantees that protected species of flora and fauna are not harmed: in recent times major projects have been thwarted or adapted due to concerns over species including the spur-thighed tortoise and the little bustard.
This will entail an analysis of the geo-forms and hydrography of the area concerned, the vegetation, land uses, visibility from nearby towns and villages, the road network and many other aspects, while potential steps to reduce the visual impact of projects could include planting screens consisting of native vegetation or creating artificial hillocks or ditches in order to make panels less visible.
While the government document is still being drawn up, in Yecla the Town Hall has declared a moratorium on new solar power projects while it is decided which areas are most appropriate for such installations, and an example of the dilemma facing the authorities can be found in plans to build the second largest solar power plant in Europe in Puerto Lumbreras. This 700-hectare project would require an investment of 280 million euros and would produce 590 megawatts of power, but has already been moved from the Lorca district of Almendricos due to disagreements with local landowners and now it faces opposition from naturalists due to the effect it would have on the local wild tortoise population.
At the same time, now that the little bustards have won the right to inhabit an area of the proposed plant in the countryside of Zarcilla de Ramos, north of the city of Lorca, the plans of X-Elio have been modified and downsized to 482 hectares, 386 megawatts and a mere 671,684 solar panels, at an investment cost of 196 million euros.
Both of these huge projects, if and when they come to fruition, will represent economic boosts for the areas in which they are located, the production of significant amounts of green energy and important decreases in our reliance on fossil fuels. But while in terms of saving the future of the planet almost everyone is in agreement, the ecological ethos is that the future of the 30 or so little bustards which are occasionally sighted in Zarcilla de Ramos is equally important, and while considerations such as this are placing many of the mega-projects in Murcia in jeopardy the government’s aesthetic criteria can be seen as yet another obstacle which will need to be overcome.