The southern Spanish region of Andalusia, which experiences nearly 3,000 hours of sunshine every year, is the focus of the country’s renewable energy transition. Installing solar panels all over the region may sound like a great idea to increase energy production generated through a renewable source if there wasn’t one big issue: Andalusia is also home to olive tree farmers, caretakers for the tens of thousands of trees that have been standing there for a century or more.
“Cutting down olive trees to install solar panels is a crime,” said a local farmer to AFP. Spain is the world’s leading olive oil producer, and these farmers have been cultivating that land through generations to keep the industry alive. Now their land is in demand for solar panel companies like Greenalia and FRV Arroyadas.
The local government is facing a backlash as it is apparently siding with the solar energy firms by announcing it will expropriate some land needed for the plants, declaring that action to be in “the public interest”.
“Is it in the public interest for them to take my land and give it to a company so that the company can profit? This has no benefit for us,” said the farmer to AFP. “Our way of life is going to be destroyed,”.
Dozens of farmers protested against the action, holding signs like “We don’t want solar plants.” “These lands come from our ancestors. What am I going to leave to my children now?” said one of the protestors.
According to the olive oil cooperative La Loperana, losing 500 hectares of groves could cost over €2 million in annual revenue. The eight planned solar projects could lead to the removal of nearly 100,000 olive trees, though the regional government estimates just 13,000. Lawsuits have been filed against the government and the companies involved.
