THE WORLD’S BIGGEST RENEWABLE-POWERED IRRIGATION SYSTEM WITH NO BATTERIES dent from headlines in Spain and other countries. Some com-plain of haphazard rollout and risks to the traditional way of life. In light of this, some pro-sustainability associations, consult-ing firms and ACCIONA Energía have decided to provide data to expand the focus of the debate and question this narrative. THE TRAIN OF THE NEW ECONOMY They applaud, for example, the opportunity that a new economic revolution represents for Spain, which has unparalleled levels of renewable technology, sun, wind, and biomass. They remind us of the country’s decisive contribution to the energy independ-ence and reindustrialization of dependent regions such as Europe, and of the widespread societal support for renewables as a way to achieve it. According to official figures, to reach the 2030 targets in Spain, only 0.004% more of the country’s territory must be occupied by wind farms, for a grand total of 0.02%. ACCIONA Energía stresses the priority of combating climate change, which is detrimental to agriculture because it increas-es desertification. It advocates a just energy transition based on dialogue, consensus, and a contribution to development, such as that of the Social Impact Management (SIM) implemented in 200 municipalities across the world. “When communities feel heard and see that our support is based on their needs, they grow stronger and so do we,” says Roberto Santesteban, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility in the company. INTEGRATION INTO THE SURROUNDING AREA Renewable facilities contribute greatly in terms of taxes and fees, and they must also meet stringent environmental regulations. In fact, failure to do so results in the rejection of one in four pro-jects in the sector. On the social front, the company’s commit-ment also goes the extra mile: “Our programs are the product of years of work and dialogue on the ground, and they go to the heart of local needs,” says Mikel Ortiz de Latierro, the company’s Environmental, Social, Health & Safety & Quality Director. His motto, Yes to renewables, but only like this reframes the mes-sage of Yes to renewables, but not like this often propounded by crit-ical sectors. In this regard, the company views a certain amount of local mistrust regarding rollout as understandable, but also thinks tangible contributions to the territory and municipalities in question end up overcoming it. For example, the consulting firm Metyis has shown that ACCIONA Energía’s facilities help create more jobs and higher income, halt the rural exodus, and rejuvenate the population in comparison to municipalities without renewable facilities. This is true not just in Spain but also the United States, Australia, Chile, Mexico, and South Africa. Similarly, the taxes paid by such facili-ties can more than double municipal budgets. A solar, wind or biomass plant—some of the projects that cre-ate the most direct and indirect jobs in their local areas—can thus become a cultural center, lead to better street lighting or be a source of recurrent resources that can foster traditional and new economic activities. That’s what happened in Barásoain (Navarre): “The wind farm contributes additional resources that help us a lot in terms of improving infrastructure, the school, the pelota court, parks, etc.,” explains the mayor, Rita Roldán. SIM continues over a facility’s entire service life, for decades, and the people involved remain present in the towns to keep trust in place. “We make sure everything goes smoothly from design to dismantling, because renewables are always reversible, which means the landscape can be restored or even improved upon.” An agricultural cooperative from Logrosán (Cáceres) receives pruning training. The little town of Montesusín, Huesca is special. Founded in 1958, it’s associated with the Monegros Canal which was built to make long-parched desert land productive. The sharp rise in the price of electricity, however, has endangered its future. ACCIONA Energía chose it as the site of one of its most innovative projects in terms of integrating renewables, the landscape, and agriculture: the world’s biggest irrigation system powered by a solar power plant without backup batteries. Its technology has finally allowed a strategic barrier to be overcome, namely “solving the issues arising from the intermittent nature of solar power, thereby enabling much cheaper power to be provided to 150 irrigation farmers for their pump stations,” explains professor Luis Navarrete, the project’s coordinator. The facility powers the pumps that move water up from the capture reservoir to the irrigation pond, from which it is distributed by gravity to all of the farms. It’s the first PPA (long-term Power Purchase Agreement, for 26 years in this case) for small farming businesses, and it covers an area of 3,400 hectares. What’s more, it could be extended to up to 2,000 farmers in the Ebro River basin, as it has significant scope for expansion.