43.5% of the energy generated in March in the Region of Murcia was of renewable origin | The truth

The Region of Murcia has the ability to detect its strengths and take advantage of its resources to maintain sustained and sustainable growth. That is why it is not surprising that with the 3,348 hours of sunshine it receives per year, added to the potential of its industrial ecosystem, it directs its efforts to lead the photovoltaic solar energy sector. The data from last March demonstrates this: 43.5% of the energy generated was of renewable origin, according to data from Red Eléctrica, which is 8 points more than the same period in 2023, most of it coming from sources photovoltaic. Currently, the Region has an installed power of 1,620 megawatts, with 4,700 more in the process of being processed from the regional and state administration, which could mean that photovoltaics will be, within four years, the main energy of area.

This was stated yesterday by Juan María Vázquez, Minister of the Environment, Universities, Research and Mar Menor, during the inauguration of the II Photovoltaic Solar Energy Forum, which brought together representatives of the sector yesterday in Molina de Segura to analyze the challenges and opportunities that present around this energy. The event, moderated by Miguel Ángel Ruiz, head of the LA VERDAD Local Area, was organized by LA VERDAD with the sponsorship of Soltec, TotalEnergies and Statkraft and had the collaboration of the Molina de Segura City Council and X-Elio. One of the objectives was to highlight the potential of self-consumption, capable of leading at the national level, since it has 26,000 installations that add up to a power of 416 megawatts, in addition to bringing together 8 of the 50 small and medium-sized photovoltaic plants nationwide with capital from social participation.

“Self-consumption is very positive because it means giving participation to small economies and developers to reduce energy costs in homes and C02, but it can also reach the industry,” said Miguel Ángel Martínez-Aroca, president of the National Association of Producers of Photovoltaic Energy (Anpier). In this paradigm shift, “the role of the consumer is not only that of a mere observer of the system, but that of a main actor, moving from plants that are located outside the cities to moving to the areas where people interact,” indicated Francisco Espín, president of the Business Association of Renewable Energies and Energy Savings of Murcia (Aremur). His vision requires providing more action to the citizen, so that they are “at the center of this decarbonization and electrification process.” To reach this goal, “solar plants of all types must be built, on the ground, on roofs, larger and smaller,” as explained by Eduardo de San Nicolás, president of the Green Hydrogen Sector Association of the Region of Murcia (Ahmur), as well as on the outskirts to massively generate or renewable energy communities.

Miguel Ángel Mena, director of the Lasolar Cooperative, highlighted the waste of these energy communities, despite being “the way to the future”, and encouraged the creation of a technical-legal guide that provides protection and guidance to city councils, so that know its benefits and join this model.

The increase to 30 gigawatts of self-consumption that multiplies the current power was one of the demands of the president of Anpier, as it is the “most social and distributed energy that facilitates the investment of any citizen.” He emphasized the profitability of self-consumption and the need for a line of aid that serves as economic support and that would allow electrification in homes and companies. “If energy demand does not increase and we expel fossil generation, we are headed for a market crash and a lack of profitability of all the components of renewable projects,” he indicated.

Educating and training the user in the management of this energy will allow them to use it to their advantage, according to Pedro Antonio Roca, delegate of the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), who recommended introducing new storage and demand management standards in the « broad path of self-consumption.

Regulate storage

One of the main needs of the sector is to achieve the storage of this energy. However, the current regulation “does not provide the conditions for this to happen.” In this regard, Mena encouraged progress in the line of batteries that allow us to “step on the accelerator towards decarbonization.”

“We are doing large projects in other countries for storage because here there is no technical or legislative development to do so,” said Fernando Lacaci, COO of X-Elio, who highlighted the need for a short-term solution “that allows renewable projects “They make sense until the economy is electrified.” “The sector is ripe for implementing batteries, but regulation is a real obstacle, because it does not accompany, and technology is ahead,” added Álvaro Ramos Solá, Business Development Director of TotalEnergies Renewables Ibérica.

Unify criteria

Beyond the environmental and consumer benefits, experts agreed on the opportunity for job creation and training of professional talent. As a counterpoint is “being able to alleviate and lighten the administrative processing, which is tedious and complicated,” said Ramos, in reference to the deadlines necessary to put renewable energy generation into operation. They also proposed government aid to accelerate electrification and match generation to consumption, since if not, “investors will slow down or stop investment.”

“These projects require large capital investments and the effort of companies and for this there must be political and regulatory stability, preventing constant change, and being able to plan in the long term so that the projects are sustainable and sustained,” stressed Erica Morales, Head of Sustainability at Statkraft. In this sense, she asked to unify the processing criteria at the local, regional and national level. “We are used to dealing with uncertainty, but we are terrified of complex processes that change every now and then,” criticized the X-Elio representative, who stressed the lack of infrastructure and the need to take advantage of the nodes that already exist. are currently available.

Federico Miralles, general director of Community Energy, showed the need for transportation and distribution network infrastructure that allows the Region to “overcome obstacles and develop plants and industry that consume this renewable energy.”

He also highlighted the importance of companies and administrations explaining these renewable energy projects to citizens so that they help understand the opportunities it offers, combating misinformation and avoiding 'social opposition'. “We are not a threat due to agriculture, but rather a complement so that land owners can choose how to make a resource like solar profitable,” reassured Raúl Morales, CEO of Soltec. He pointed to the Region of Murcia as “protagonist of that revolution”, with industrial land available to “receive electro-intensive companies that seek cheap energy”, emphasizing the role of universities in their technical training to support this industry and train the workforce. “We have the great opportunity to become Europe's solar valley,” he concluded.

José Ángel Alfonso: «We cities are called to play a very important role»

The mayor of Molina de Segura, José Ángel Alfonso, closed the forum by praising the ability to generate and pioneer renewable energy, a fact “that seemed impossible a few years ago and is now a reality, being able to speak of our country as an important generator of this energy,” he stated. He referred to clean energy policies “that reconcile us with the environment, nature and the environment”, as well as plans for sustainability. “Cities are called to play a very important role and in Molina de Segura we are clear about it, which is why we have not let this train of photovoltaic energy and its transformation pass by,” he concluded.