Iberdrola España promotes a debate to encourage best practices between renewables and biodiversity

• This meeting held by the company at the Real Sitio de La Granja de San Ildefonso, within the framework of the Convive Programme, shared the progress made in recent years, analysed future challenges and promoted the positive progress of renewable energies and biodiversity.
• Renewable energies are the key lever for the decarbonisation of electricity generation and thus of our economy.
• One of the main challenges facing the energy transition is to jointly address the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity.

Iberdrola España has promoted the organisation of a meeting to promote best practices between renewables and biodiversity in the Royal Site of La Granja de San Ildefonso (Segovia), within the framework of the Convive Programme.

Mayor Samuel Alonso Llorente and the CEO of Iberdrola Renovables, Julio Castro, were responsible for inaugurating this conference in which relevant case studies were shared and key issues were debated to ensure that the development of renewable energies has a net positive impact on biodiversity.

The company made this commitment years ago and continues to work within the framework of its Biodiversity Plan and the Convive Programme to ensure that renewables create a symbiosis with nature, society and the economy.

Climate change is advancing at an ever-increasing speed and renewables are positioned as an essential lever in the rapid and effective fight to reduce emissions and minimise the impacts of climate change on people and the planet.

This forum brought together experts and representatives of different entities: MITECO, AMUS, CEOE, FORÉTICA, UNEF, AEE, S&P Global Ratings, Redeia, Ecoacsa; the Universities of Salamanca, Málaga, Oviedo and Rey Juan Carlos, and the journalists José Maria Camarero and Ramón Roca, as well as the director of communication of the Castilla y León Natural Heritage Foundation and vice-president of APIA, Javier Valenzuela, who moderated the event and shared the main conclusions.

The conversation between key actors with different perspectives has allowed to showcase successful experiences on the positive impacts on biodiversity of an accelerated renewable transition that integrates nature protection as one of its fundamental objectives and to lay the groundwork for possible partnerships and collaborations to enable this.

The CEO of Iberdrola Renovables, Julio Castro, said that "meetings like this one allow us to learn about best practices and apply them, as well as create synergies that help protect the planet and its biodiversity. Iberdrola España has launched the Convive Programme with the aim of being a continuous improvement plan that integrates all initiatives and alliances for the coexistence between renewable energies and their contribution to socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation".

Advancing towards the goal of tripling renewable capacity by 2030 will provide a competitive advantage in securing clean, secure and affordable energy that will drive industrial growth, prosperity and positive value for biodiversity, climate and people. This ambitious goal requires significant action and collaboration from governments, the private sector and civil society as a whole. Some of the key factors for success are the right policy support and market incentives, international cooperation among all stakeholders, investments in energy infrastructure and an accelerated electrification process.

To contribute to global goals, the energy transition must be carried out in a way that is compatible with the need to preserve and restore nature. The good news is that this is possible thanks to a growing number of tools and solutions available to ensure that renewable energy deployment is properly sited and managed, thus contributing to enhancing biodiversity and socio-economic development benefits. 

Iberdrola España's commitment to biodiversity 

Iberdrola España is committed to a sustainable energy model in harmony with nature and people. This model is underpinned by two main objectives: to achieve zero net emissions in all scopes by 2040 and to have a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030, according to the Biodiversity Plan. 
Iberdrola España has recently published its Biodiversity Report, which sets out its strategy and the actions carried out over the last 2 years, totalling more than 1,800.

The company has also launched the Convive Programme, which includes a multitude of measures to ensure that renewable installations are fully compatible with biodiversity, agriculture, livestock farming and even beekeeping. For example, some photovoltaic installations have become real biodiversity refuges, which have even allowed endangered species to find a suitable space to live (e.g. free of pesticides and disturbances).

In Castilla y León, in collaboration with the mushroom and fungi producer Fungi Natur, Iberdrola España launched the first project in Spain for mushroom cultivation in photovoltaic installations at the Revilla Vallejera plant in Burgos a few months ago, which makes it possible to take advantage of the countryside and the shade of the panels to promote local employment and the development of agriculture, while saving water and improving the quality of the harvest.

In addition, 600 sheep graze daily in the enclosure of this facility, a clear example of integration between renewables, nature and local economy, "solar grazing" benefits the livestock farmers, who gain new spaces for their activity; it is positive for the plant, as it ensures the ecological maintenance of the land and reduces the risk of fires; and it benefits the animals who, in addition to access to food, find protection from the sun, rain and wind in the solar panels.

The Town Council of Revilla Vallejera has been one of the winners of the first edition of the Iberdrola Convive Awards. This municipality in the province of Burgos has been on the renewable energy map since 2016 and is an example of how small towns not only coexist with green energy, but also complement and benefit from it.

Iberdrola España's commitment to sustainability is increasingly visible and solid in Castilla y León, where the company is a leader in clean energy. This strategic vision is shared by the Abadía Retuerta winery, which, together with the electricity company, launched a photovoltaic self-consumption project that allows the Ribera del Duero firm to supply itself with 100% clean energy. Innovation goes hand in hand with sustainability, making it possible to combine vineyards with photovoltaic production in a sustainable way, improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the facilities, making the most of the land and protecting biodiversity.