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Malaga – Costa del Sol
Environment
Ignacio Lillo
Málaga
In the world of energy, few sights are as striking as watching a flock of sheep wandering amongst the large solar panels at a photovoltaic … plant.
Their ecological role is highly specific and has been proven to be effective, creating a mutually beneficial symbiosis between traditional livestock farming and cutting-edge technology.
Juan Francisco Crespo is in charge of Endesa’s La Vega I and La Vega II power stations, located in the municipality of Teba. Together, they cover some 156 hectares of land, on which nearly 300,000 solar panels have been installed.
They are mounted on mobile structures known as ‘trackers’ because, like sunflowers, they move to follow the sun’s path. A computer programme based on a twilight sensor calculates the sun’s exact position at any given moment and directs the panels from east in the morning to west in the afternoon. This ensures maximum energy output.
To maximise performance, bifacial panels are used. These modules capture direct sunlight at the front and sunlight reflected off the ground at the rear. Thanks to this system, on days with good weather conditions, the plant’s output can increase by almost 15 per cent.
The installed capacity is around 42 to 43 megawatts, generating some 170 gigawatts: this is enough energy to supply around 30,000 households for a year.
Such a large-scale installation in the natural environment poses a significant challenge in terms of vegetation and fires. After all, the natural ground remains beneath the slabs, where the anchoring process is very minimally invasive. Consequently, vegetation grows, particularly in very wet years such as this one.
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To tackle this, the park’s managers have found a natural ally in the shepherd Manuel Moreno and his flock of 1,500 sheep. In fact, upon entering the park, it is striking that there is hardly any grass, whereas on the farms surrounding the perimeter fence the vegetation is very tall.
Manuel, aged 82, arrives accompanied by his daughter Sofia, and describes his animals as being of the ‘Almeria’ breed.
The main purpose of his sheep farm – and of most of those still operating in the province – is to rear lambs for meat. “Prices haven’t been too bad of late; we’re getting more or less what they’re worth, because a few years back they were very cheap and I don’t know how we managed to keep going… But now they’ve gone up a bit and things aren’t too bad,” he admits.
“The flock is a natural brush-clearer that works round the clock; you just close the factory gate and leave them here to graze.”
Endesa proposed this partnership to the family, and the farmer thought it was a good idea. “Above all, with the animals’ welfare in mind, in a truly wonderful setting where we’re working hand in hand with renewable energy,” says Sofía.
She continues, “The sheep’s role is to act as ‘natural brush cutters’, as without them they’d have to bring in machinery. And we get food from the pasture, whilst the land is maintained in a sustainable way.”
Her father adds: “The flock works round the clock; you just close the plant’s gate and leave them here to graze.” They’ll stay there as long as there’s grass, from December until the start of summer. “As long as there’s grass, they’re here eating.”
In return, the panels provide the sheep with shade when the heat is at its peak, and shelter from the rain. Manuel continues: “When it rains heavily, as it has this year, they huddle under the panels and don’t get wet – it acts as a roof.
“The sheep are very comfortable, because they want peace and quiet and plenty of food, and that’s why they’re doing so well here. And at the same time, they’re doing a great job, because otherwise, how much would it cost to clear all this, given how big the area is?”
“The best firefighters in Spain are the sheep, which clear the hills of scrub, but unfortunately there are fewer and fewer sheep”
As far as security is concerned, it really is a win-win situation. On the one hand, being within an enclosed area means the animals are less exposed to potential attacks and theft. But at the same time, the shepherds also act as watchmen, raising the alarm should they spot any threat, particularly in the event of a fire.
Indeed, the farmer highlights the service these animals provide in fighting fires. ‘Sheep are Spain’s best firefighters. The woods are chock-full of undergrowth after all the rain, and the animals can clear it away, but, unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer livestock, because young people only want computers, not to work in the countryside,” he jokes.
The livestock farmers and those in charge of the solar plant jokingly refer to one part of La Vega I park as ‘the Maternity and Children’s Ward’. It is a smaller, more secluded area, easily accessible, unobstructed and with everything close at hand, equipped with drinking troughs to provide water for the animals. This area is reserved for ewes with their lambs.
“We all use it as a nursery: the farmers for their young animals, and we bring the children here on school trips because the lambs are what they like best,” adds the plant manager. Like the rest of the site, it is monitored by CCTV, and each section is fenced off and fitted with motion sensors, which are connected to a security control centre.
“The animals keep the grass short, which prevents shadows from falling on the solar panels and greatly reduces the risk of fire”
Endesa has agreements with livestock farmers and beekeepers at almost all its power stations across the country. As an anecdote, in the early years they tried using goats, “but they would jump onto the panels and chew through the cables. So that option was ruled out,” joke the managers.
“Grazing sheep provides a mutual benefit with local farmers. The animals keep the grass short, which helps prevent shadows on the panels and drastically reduces the risk of fire,” says Juan Francisco Crespo.
In fact, during the summer, the few fires that have occurred have been very low-intensity and easy to bring under control with minimal resources, thanks to the sheep.
In return, the farmer has a fenced-off area where the animals are fed and protected from theft and some predators… though not all of them. In fact, the enclosure is designed to allow wildlife to pass through, and it is sometimes inevitable that mongooses will catch the odd lamb.
‘For us, the benefit is also having someone who knows solar power stations inside out, and who lets us know if they spot anything. And we do the same for them, because sometimes we notice when lambs are born and we ring the shepherd… So we become a bit like farmers, and they become producers of clean energy – it’s a symbiotic relationship,” say Endesa representatives.
The initiative began with several pilot projects a decade ago and has now become widespread across almost all the plants. Alongside sheep, some sites also use donkeys, which are very useful for clearing undergrowth.
Beehives are also being set up to produce honey. And in areas such as Extremadura, it is common for partridges and other game birds to nest amongst the panels, as they are better protected there than outside, particularly from the threat posed by harvesters.
“Being on a solar farm gives us protection against hive thefts, and in return we beekeepers help keep watch”
At some farms, a technique known as ‘agrivoltaics’ is being trialled, which involves growing crops beneath the solar panels and in the wide aisles between them.
The most common practice is to plant aromatic herbs, which in turn benefit from the bees and create a new ecosystem involving fauna, flora and technology. “As they are shaded, it has been found – particularly in Andalucía – that they retain moisture better and grow more vigorously.”
Other projects are working with flax, even using small tractors to harvest it because the width of the aisles allows for it. “Ultimately, you have to work with the environment that the land provides; the primary sector and energy must go hand in hand, because renewables are here to stay.”
But the project doesn’t stop there, and in Málaga other shared uses of the space are already being explored. Thus, the next ‘tenant’ set to occupy a plot within another of the solar parks in Teba flies and is vital for maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
Agustín Romero, a 37-year-old beekeeper, plans to install some of his hives in one of these sites. He currently owns around 600 hives, although in the family business he manages up to 1,500, depending on the season, across the municipalities of Teba, Álora, Vélez, Almargen, Cañete and Ardales. The company sells its honey directly under its own brand, Miel Agustín.
Being inside a solar power plant provides them, above all, with security against the theft of beehives, which is something that happens more often than would be desirable, as the beekeeper acknowledges.
Furthermore, the plants are usually surrounded by flowering plants, such as broom and bramble, which are grown by the electricity companies themselves and which the bees visit for food. However, in such cases, areas away from the main site are sought, as the insects could sting workers.
And what can beekeeping offer the solar farm? “As beekeepers, we’re out in the fields every day. So we keep an eye on things and alert those in charge if we see anything unusual, if someone trespasses, or even – during periods of heavy rain – if there’s a landslide that could cause problems… We’re the first to spot what’s happening, because we’re always right there on the ground.”
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A flock of 1,500 sheep tends to a solar farm in Teba
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