I’ve been spending quite a bit of time recently thinking and talking about community benefits from renewable energy projects. It’s something I covered off in some detail in my Churchill Fellowship report, but also an area that (due to length constraints) I had to carve a fair bit out of for my final report. Enough […]
Thoughts on Community Benefits: Part 1 – Report Summary Read More »
After months of writing, editing, rewriting and formatting my Churchill Fellowship Report is now complete. It’s a relief to have it out in the world. It can be downloaded here, or from the Churchill Trust website. (Special mentions to Jasmin from Lateral Aspect and Trudi from Veritas Creative Services who helped me out with the
The below needs to be heavily prefaced with the fact that a Churchill Fellowship is a truly fantastic experience, and I am incredibly grateful – and consider myself very fortunate – for having had the opportunity to undertake one. You can tell there’s a “but” coming though, right? Having been back for a few months,
There were a few great things about the Spanish leg of my travels: Some general comments: Spanish food culture is noticeably different from what we have in Australia. Going out for a meal often means going out to share a number of small plates of food (tapas/pintxos), and drinks, sometimes at different establishments. The Spanish
Second in Spain only to Castile and León in wind energy production is Aragón. The region is also home to one of the oldest grid-connected wind farms in Spain; Iberdrola’s La Plana 3, which was commissioned in 1996. The area around La Plana 3 near the town of La Muela, has seen significant construction of
I have spoken to a few people in the past weeks that have highlighted that there is both a climate crisis and biodiversity crisis currently at play. Addressing carbon emissions at the cost of biodiversity is not a pathway that should be pursued. Organisations like Teruel Existe, Alianza Energia y Territoria (ALIENTE – The Energy
One interesting area of contention is the level of government where a permitting decision for a renewable energy project sits. Spain is perhaps the greatest example of this, as permitting for projects below 50MW in size take place at the autonomous community level; those over 50MW go to the National Government . In general, proponents
In Spain’s north-east, Navarre, centred on the city of Pamplona, might not be the largest producer of renewable energy, but it has been instrumental in the development of the sector. In sitting down to meet with Regional Minister for Economic and Business Development, Mikel Irujo Amezaga, he asserts that whilst the Danes pioneered wind energy,
Approximately 450km north of Extremadura, in north-western Spain, the region of Castile and León was the country’s largest wind energy producer in 2023. Like the rest of the country, project development has benefited from a historically well-networked electricity grid, which has been built out and upgraded over time. The region also undertook some early planning
Spain is one of Europe’s largest solar energy producers, and the sector continues to grow. Several of the largest solar farms in the country are located in the autonomous community (region) of Extremadura, bordering Portugal, approximately 300km west-south-west from Madrid. In addition to its abundant sunshine, Extremadura also boasts the lowest population density in the