Iberdrola recognises the best spanish initiatives for the coexistence of renewables, nature and people
- The award winners are Pueblo Solar de Cedillo (Cedillo Solar Village), Revilla Vallejera Town Council, the Government of Navarre, the International Institute of Law and Environment, Faramax, EFEverde and Seo BirdLife.
- The Chairman of the Iberdrola Group presents the first edition of the CONVIVE Awards, which recognize the best initiatives for the coexistence of renewables, nature and people.
Today in Mérida, Iberdrola España has awarded the best initiatives for the coexistence of renewable energies, nature and people in the first edition of the CONVIVE Awards. These awards, which were created with the aim of advancing the energy transition towards decarbonization, recognize those initiatives, alliances, companies, actions or local entities that exemplify the integration of renewable energies with socioeconomic development and biodiversity conservation in Spain.
Ignacio Galán, the chairman of Iberdrola, a group of which we are part, said that the company aims to "mobilize society as a whole against climate change. We don't have another planet, we have to take care of this one. The problem can be solved by all of us". The president recalled that the company has been living with the environment for more than 100 years, facilitating the implementation of renewable energies and promoting care for biodiversity.
The energy group has organized these awards together with the Center for Innovation in Technology for Human Development at the Polytechnic University of Madrid (itdUPM).
The winners are:
- Local entities, Pueblo Solar de Cedillo and Revilla Vallejera Town Council
- Citizen participation, Regional Government of Navarre
- Research, knowledge and innovation, International Institute for Law and Environment (IILEI)
- Social and entrepreneurial entrepreneurship, Faramax
- Communication and Awareness Raising, EFEverde
- Extraordinary Award, SEO BirdLife
The company believes that progress in decarbonization is essential to achieve a more sustainable economy and meet climate targets. Advancing in decarbonisation is essential to achieve a more sustainable economy and meet climate goals. As a global leader in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has created the CONVIVE Programme,
External link, opens in new window. a line of continuous improvement that integrates all initiatives and alliances that build bridges towards an energy transition in harmony with nature and people.
The company wants to develop positive impacts on local communities to contribute to rural economic development and the structuring of the territory. It also seeks, with this initiative, to create a benefit in biodiversity because where there is renewable energy, there is better conservation of the territory and native wild plant species grow again, which, in turn, attract native animal species.
At a global level, this project contributes to the fight against climate change and, at a local level, it generates economic activity and improves biodiversity. Iberdrola also wants to raise awareness of this proposal to improve social acceptance of renewable energies.
The event was attended by the President of the Regional Government of Extremadura and Secretary General of the regional PSOE, Guillermo Fernández Vara, who accompanied the President of Iberdrola at the awards ceremony, and the President of the Extremadura PP and candidate for President of the regional Executive, María Guardiola.
An example of coexistence
Iberdrola's CONVIVE Programme was created with the aim of facilitating the acceleration of the development of renewable energies in Spain, improving their contribution to territories, people and biodiversity.
This programme pursues two objectives: on the one hand, an internal one, promoting continuous improvement and the best practices available in the integration of renewables in the environment. On the other hand, an external one, contributing positively to local development and the conservation of biodiversity through collaboration and the establishment of alliances.
These actions help to establish long-term and sustainable relationships with the environment around our plants, contributing to the social licence of the projects by working hand in hand with the public, institutions, administration, etc., at all times.
This programme is structured along three lines of action:
- Contributing to socio-economic development: Initiatives that enable the projects' contribution to economic and social development at local as well as national level.
- Protecting and enhancing biodiversity: Actions that contribute to the integration of installations into the territory and landscape by improving their contribution to biodiversity and their environmental impact.
- Learning from experts: Improving the impact of renewables and the social acceptance of the energy transition through collaboration with third parties.
Some examples of these initiatives are: the integration of livestock and agricultural activities around the facilities, development of beekeeping activities and new developments in agrovoltaics; the development of the value chain of the renewable sector and suppliers at the local level; the creation of energy communities and assistance to municipalities to develop development plans; participation in alliances to define best practices in renewable projects, develop new industrial activity and innovation, etc.
The winners will become part of the winners' repository, with special recognition and the possibility of other elements of visibility for their project. The award is not remunerated financially.