The Trujillo and Picón photovoltaic plants, developed, built and operated by ABEI Energy, become the forty-third project to obtain the UNEF Seal of Excellence for Sustainability, which recognises ground-based solar power plants built with the highest criteria of social and environmental integration.
The Trujillo and Picón photovoltaic plants, built and operated by ABEI Energy in Cáceres and Ciudad Real, and owned by the Reichmuth & Co Infrastructure group, become the forty-third project to obtain the Seal of Excellence for Sustainability from the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), which recognises ground-based photovoltaic power plants built with the highest criteria of social and environmental integration and circular economy.
After passing an independent audit, UNEF has ruled that both projects are integrated into the territory in which they are located, with respect for biodiversity and citizens.
The Seal of Excellence in Sustainability was created by UNEF in 2020 to disseminate good practices in the Spanish photovoltaic sector, reinforcing the commitment of the national photovoltaic sector to a sustainable energy transition. UNEF thus became the first entity worldwide to design its own system for certifying the sustainability of photovoltaic installations, aimed at all companies that may be interested in obtaining it, whether they are developers, builders, owners or any other in the ground-based solar plant segment.
“We have always demanded that we do things well as a sector, since we believe that our future cannot be understood without coexistence and the creation of added value between the population, the territory and its biodiversity and the projects,” stressed José Donoso, general director of the Spanish Photovoltaic Union.
The Trujillo photovoltaic project, located in Torrecillas de la Tiesa, Cáceres, has the capacity to produce 112 GWh/h of clean energy, which is equivalent to supplying energy to 32,000 homes per year, avoiding the emission of 33,000 tons of CO2 per year.
It has generated 289 local jobs throughout the construction and has involved the hiring of 181 companies in the region. In addition, as a social benefit, solar panels have been installed in the municipal swimming pool of Aldeacentenera worth 20 thousand euros.
Regarding the environmental measures promoted in the construction of this project, an agreement has been made with a local NGO in coordination with the DGS to carry out a study on the regional population of red kites. In the surroundings of the plant, reptile shelters and kestrel nest boxes have also been placed, with their subsequent monitoring.
The Picón photovoltaic project, located in the town of the same name in Ciudad Real, has the capacity to produce 72 GWh/h of clean energy, which is equivalent to supplying energy to 20,500 homes per year, avoiding the emission of 21,000 tons of CO2 per year.
It has generated 118 local jobs throughout the construction and has involved the hiring of 78 companies in the region. As a social benefit, solar panels have been installed in the “José María del Moral” school in Picón for a value of 10 thousand euros.
To minimize the environmental impact, plant screens have been installed around the plant and a biological corridor, planting around 3,000 trees. In addition, vivariums and shelters for lagomorphs have been built, and two ponds for amphibians to drink and grow.
The developer has also reached a collaboration agreement with the Brinzal Group for the Defence of the Natural Environment for hacking of the common barn owl within the facility. This project involves the release of eight common barn owl chicks (Tyto alba) using the free-range breeding or hacking procedure at the PSFV Picón, so that the interest of these specimens always comes first.
