Hundreds of people demonstrated this weekend in the small municipality of Coves de Vinromà against the installation of the large Magda photovoltaic project, the most controversial of all those presented in the Valencian territory. The debate on the occupation of land for large energy infrastructures continues without consensus between the parties.
In this context, the former director general of Ecological Transition, Pedro Fresco -dismissed after the dismissal of Minister Mireia Mollà and very critical of the renewables policy of the party that won him office (Compromís)- recalled these days a survey on the Ecological Transition in the Valencian municipalities whose results (a field work that was carried out between November and December 2021) now acquire full relevance.
According to the Ministry's report, "three-quarters of the municipalities in the Valencian Community at risk of depopulation consider that they meet the appropriate conditions for the implementation of photovoltaic solar plants, taking into account urban planning criteria, environmental protection and gentle slopes that require these types of projects. This percentage, adds the document, is 10 percentage points higher than that expressed by the set of municipalities in the Valencian Community.
Of course, it makes it clear that, in relation to the type of possible initiatives, the majority preference in these localities is the commitment to "various implantations (72%) well above a single large plant (28%)". In other words, projects are welcome, but not so much large infrastructures.
The study goes down to the detail of the provinces and observes how it is precisely in the province of Castellón (the most rural and with the greatest number of municipalities at risk of depopulation) where the municipalities perceive a greater degree of suitability (78%) for development of these types of facilities.
The report also highlights that the so-called Avant Strategy raises the need to establish incentives and undertake an administrative simplification for this type of investment, including wind farms, photovoltaic solar energy, production from biomass, giving priority to collaborative and self-sufficiency initiatives. oriented to the needs of municipalities, companies and households.
In this sense, it is argued that energy taxation can play an important role when promoting any type of renewable energy installation. However, it is pointed out that "only 25% of the municipalities at risk of depopulation have some type of incentive or fiscal discount for renewable energies compared to 47% of all municipalities in the Valencian territory, which highlights the need to promote energy tax measures in order to promote a fair energy transition in rural areas".
After analyzing the implementation of renewable energies in the different municipalities of the Valencian Community, by way of conclusion, the report highlights that "the size of the municipality is configured as an essential aspect when incorporating measures to promote the energy transition" . Thus, it outlines a kind of rule: "In general terms, a high correlation is observed between the size of the municipality and the introduction of measures to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy at the local level. The greater availability of technical and economic resources of the entities It therefore constitutes a key factor in promoting energy transition measures".
