The expansion of the solar plants The rural landscape in Spain and much of Europe is changing rapidly. What a few years ago was seen as isolated installations or self-consumption solutions, today translates into large photovoltaic parks on former farmland, in agrivoltaic projects that combine panels and crops, and in a growing social debate about how far this deployment should go.
At the same time, satellite imagery and artificial intelligence allow us to track with considerable accuracy how the area occupied by photovoltaic infrastructures across the globe. This global perspective contrasts with the very specific conflicts that arise in territories such as Andalusia or Navarrewhere the massive arrival of photovoltaic projects clashes with neighborhood, environmental and agricultural concerns.
The Andalusian countryside: from wheat to solar plants
In numerous Andalusian regions, a silent transformation of agricultural soilWhat began as a domestic response to rising electricity costs—installing solar panels on roofs to lower bills—has led to a wave of contracts between rural landowners and renewable energy companies to build large-scale solar farms. solar power plants on farms.
A few years ago it was estimated that around 200.000 homes They already had photovoltaic panels on their homes, approximately double the number from the previous year, a growth that illustrates the appeal of self-consumption. However, the most visible change in the landscape is occurring in agricultural municipalities where some of the dryland or irrigated land is being replaced by solar tracker fields and perimeter fences.
One of the best known examples is Carmona (Seville)where there has been a veritable boom in projects. Dozens of solar plants were planned around the town, covering an agricultural area of ​​approximately 92.000 hectares. The City Council itself acknowledged that there were more than twenty initiatives in various stages of development, with the promise of millions in revenue from land rentals for the municipality and for the owners.
For some farmers, the appeal lies in the economic stability that the rents offer. One producer who previously grew wheat, sunflowers, or chickpeas explained that his profit margin was around 100 euros per hectare in a normal campaign, while leasing to a photovoltaic company could reach 1.900 euros per hectareThis difference leads many to consider abandoning traditional farming to secure long-term income, even while being aware that the agricultural landscape is shrinking.
Among the neighbors, the matter has generated controversy and division of opinionsSome celebrate that the money from renewables will help sustain local economies hit by drought or low agricultural prices; others, however, fear that the occupation of arable land will lead to a significant decrease in agricultural production and a loss of rural identity, with local estimates pointing to drops of between 20 and 30% in some areas.
The global perspective: satellite maps of solar plants
What is happening in Andalusia or Navarre is part of a much larger phenomenon. An international observatory based in satellite imagery and artificial intelligence algorithms has already mapped more than 14.500 km² of surface area covered by solar worldwide, an area similar to that of Northern Ireland.
This initiative, driven by platforms such as Global Renewables Watch, applies the same detection method of solar parks and photovoltaic plants in all countries, regardless of how they compile their official statistics. The advantage is that a homogeneous map is obtained of large parks in deserts, installations in mountain ranges, or photovoltaic rooftops in urban and rural areas.
The analysis confirms that the Installed solar power has tripled in seven years...to exceed two terawatts globally, in line with figures from organizations such as the International Energy Agency. Photovoltaics has thus established itself as the main driver of renewable energy growth worldwide, responsible for most of the new clean capacity connected to the grid each year.
China is clearly leading this expansion, with large solar plants In vast provinces like Qinghai, where a complex of around 16.900 MW of power has been developed, comparable to several dozen conventional thermal power plants. Following the Asian giant are the United States and India, but also Spain, which has climbed the ranks in a very short time.
In the case of Spain, photovoltaic power has gone from moderate levels at the end of the last decade to exceeding 31.000 MW in 2024thanks primarily to large solar power plants in regions with abundant radiation such as Extremadura, Andalusia and Murcia, and to the boost from thousands of self-consumption installations spread throughout the country.
Navarre: solar plants, environmental assessment and social conflict
The Chartered Community of Navarre clearly illustrates the tensions between the need to to promote photovoltaics and the obligation to protect the territory. The General Directorate of the Environment has issued a favorable environmental impact statement for three photovoltaic solar plants —El Royo, La Galera and La Muga— promoted by a private company in the municipalities of Corella and Tudela.
These facilities will be located above almost 28 hectares of agricultural landMany of these areas are dedicated to vineyards, and the energy will be evacuated collectively via several underground power lines to the La Serna substation. The underground design of the evacuation system has been positively received for its reduced visual impact compared to conventional overhead lines.
Although their size allowed them to follow an abbreviated procedure, the developer himself opted to subject the solar plants to a ordinary environmental impact assessmentThe most demanding process foreseen in state regulations. This lengthened a procedure that began in the spring of 2024 and has included document corrections, two public information periods, and a joint impact study for the three projects and their associated infrastructure.
During the investigation, reports have been gathered from organizations such as the Ebro River Basin Authority, ADIF or the State Highways DepartmentSeveral energy companies and environmental groups filed objections, warning of the saturation of infrastructure in the Ribera region and calling for more orderly planning of renewable energy deployment in the community.
The environmental assessment acknowledges that the area already suffers from a high concentration of energy facilities and that there are risks of cumulative impacts, particularly on steppe birds in a delicate situation. In response, strict conditions have been established regarding the schedule and timing of the works, the signage of fencing and the design of the night lighting, to minimize disturbances and reduce the barrier effect on wildlife.
Measures to make solar plants compatible with biodiversity
One of the most striking aspects of the Navarrese authorization is the obligation for the promoter to manage an equivalent agricultural area throughout the plants' lifespan The land where the panels will be installed, preferably located in critical areas for steppe birds such as Castejón-Tudela or Tudela Norte, must be maintained with crops and fallow lands favorable to wildlife, without the use of pesticides during the most sensitive periods.
Furthermore, the environmental conditions detail measures regarding landscape integrationSoil restoration and revegetation with native species must be carried out within a limited timeframe after the completion of construction. The use of herbicides and poisons to control vegetation under the modules is prohibited, and the use of [native species] is encouraged. Extense livestock farming as a tool for maintaining the vegetation cover.
Electrical components must be insulated or designed to minimize the risk to birds, while auxiliary structures must avoid sharp edges or gaps that could cause entrapment. Obligations are also included for preserve small elements of the agricultural landscape, such as piles of stones or boundary markers, which serve as a refuge for smaller fauna.
The resolution, which has already been published in the official gazette, cannot be appealed directly, but it will require the promoting company to scrupulously comply with all conditions If you want to get solar plants up and running. These kinds of requirements reinforce the message that photovoltaic deployment must be accompanied by clear guarantees for biodiversity and the rural landscape.
Meanwhile, a broader political debate has opened up in Navarre, with groups calling for a halt to the large-scale solar and wind power projects on mountains and agricultural land and prioritize self-consumption, local energy communities and renewable energy installations in industrial parks and already urbanized environments.
Agrivoltaics: sharing land between solar plants and crops
One of the formulas that is generating the most interest in Europe for reducing tension over land use is the agrovoltaic or agrophotovoltaicThat is, projects where the aim is for the same plot of land to simultaneously produce solar energy and food. The goal is to ensure that the land is not relegated to a marginal role, but remains agricultural.
A project led by the University of Turku (Finland) The study has analyzed, through simulations, how the design of solar power plants influences crop productivity at high latitudes. The study focuses on systems with bifacial panels placed verticallyoriented east-west, arranged in 15 rows and with one meter of free height between the ground and the bottom of the modules, also leaving a lateral margin for the passage of agricultural machinery.
The researchers have tested virtually different distances between rows of panelsfrom 5 to 100 meters, to see how the irradiation received by the crops changes and, therefore, their production. Their results indicate that from about 8 meters of separation The earth retains around 75% of the radiation it would have without plates, a threshold they consider acceptable to preserve basic agricultural viability.
The most significant jump is observed when the streets between rows reach 10 meterswhile from approximately 20 meters onwards, the additional gains in light and performance begin to stabilize. To get closer to a 90% of the original agricultural yieldAccording to the simulations, the optimal separation range would be around 11,3-13,7 meters.
Beyond distances, the study measures how the type of crop influences the electricity production of bifacial panels through albedo, that is, the fraction of light reflected by the soil and plants towards the back of the modules. In the proposed model, certain winter crops, such as barley, are associated with greater photovoltaic generation than others, such as oats, reflecting the extent to which species selection can modify the overall performance of the system.
Agrophotovoltaics and European renewable energy policies
East-west vertical panel agrovoltaic systems present a production curve with two daily peaksOne in the morning and another in the afternoon, often more aligned with consumption patterns and specific wholesale electricity price scenarios. This makes them, in some contexts, more economically attractive than traditional south-facing systems.
The European Commission, through its Joint Research Center (JRC)He emphasized the role of agricultural photovoltaics as a tool to boost renewables without excessively exacerbating land conflicts. The message is that simultaneous evaluation is necessary. energy, agricultural productivity and biodiversityand not to see the solar plant as an isolated element, but as part of a mosaic of land uses.
Along these lines, the program IEA PVPS The International Energy Agency is working within an international collaboration framework to harmonize definitions, metrics, and methodologies for agrivoltaic projects. The aim is to rigorously compare the extent to which solar power plants combined with crops maintain agricultural production, how they affect habitat quality, and which models deliver the best socioeconomic outcomes.
However, the authors of the Finnish study caution that their results are based on typical conditions of high latitudesThese areas, with their very different radiation and seasonality compared to regions of the Mediterranean arc like Spain, require specific trials for each crop, irrigation system, soil type, and available machinery in each environment, as well as taking into account the structure of electricity prices and agricultural subsidies.
Even so, the main message is clear: the physical design of the solar plants on agricultural land —module height, row spacing, orientation and crop selection— makes the difference between a model that drives out agriculture and one that allows some compatibility between kilowatts and food.
Self-consumption, energy communities and alternative models
In response to the proliferation of large-scale solar power plants on rural land, several areas of Spain are demanding decentralized generation models, based on self-consumption and energy communities that take advantage of the roofs of public buildings, industrial buildings or already urbanized land.
In Navarre, for example, a local energy community has emerged that brings together Dozens of town councils, residents, small businesses and SMEsThe idea is to produce and consume renewable energy collectively within urban areas or industrial parks. This approach aims to better distribute the benefits of the energy transition and reduce dependence on large private developers.
At the same time, social organizations and some political groups criticize Navarre, being net exporter of electricityThey argue that the government should continue authorizing large solar and wind farms on fertile agricultural land and in forests. According to these groups, the current deployment prioritizes large-scale projects that, in their view, alter the landscape and primarily benefit large corporations, whereas more could be done to invest in smaller, localized installations.
In this context, the debate on solar power plants connects with other energy discussions, such as the expansion of biomethanization facilities associated with the intensive livestock sector. Although they are different technologies, for some citizens they form part of the same question: who controls energy production, where are the infrastructures located, and how are risks and benefits shared?
Beyond the political clash, these debates point to a fundamental issue: the need for the deployment of renewables in general and solar plants in particular This should be accompanied by clear planning, early citizen participation, and local economic return mechanisms that reinforce the social acceptance of the projects.
The expansion of solar power plants, both in Spain and throughout Europe, is progressing at an unprecedented pace and is already visible from space, but its future will depend on how the land conflicts, the high-performance biodiversity protection and the participation of rural communities so that the sun is not only a source of clean energy, but also a balanced development opportunity for the territories.
