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Iberdrola has recently collected the solar honey produced at the Campo Arañuelo III photovoltaic plant in Cáceres, a new milestone in the solar honey production project that the company started in 2020 together with the Extremaduran company Tesela Natura, part of the Ecoenergías del Guadiana Group. 

The photovoltaic plants become very useful spaces for generating pure honey, while at the same time offering beekeepers safe spaces, free from theft and pesticides. A few months ago, following a study of the different locations of beehives by the Extremadura Organic Farming Committee, this solar plant was awarded the status of organic land, giving rise to the world's first organic honey.

The harvesting season is now over and honey has been collected from the 40 hives that were introduced next to the photovoltaic panels that generate emission-free green energy.

For Nicolás Antón, head of Iberdrola Renovables in Extremadura, "this project is an example of the good integration that can be achieved between clean energy and biodiversity. The photovoltaic space can have other uses that also benefit the entire surrounding area with pollination that enriches the ecosystem".

For Beatriz Román, director of Tesela Natura, "the honey produced in the solar plants is far away from pesticides, allowing the bees to work quietly and without noise and the beekeepers to leave their hives there without fear of theft, which is one of the main problems faced by the sector".

Between 2022 and 2023, the project plans to expand to other regions of Spain, such as Castilla La Mancha, and will continue in Andalusia, where honey has already been collected at the Andévalo photovoltaic plant.

The Arañueño III photovoltaic plant (40 MW), located in the Cáceres municipality of Romangordo, is the first photovoltaic project in Spain to incorporate a storage system, in this case, a battery with 3 MW of power and 9 MWh of storage capacity. This installation is part of the Campo Arañuelo complex, located in the Almaraz region, made up of the Arañuelo I, II and III photovoltaic plants, which have an installed capacity of 143 MW and will prevent the emission of 41,000 t CO2/year into the atmosphere.

Living with biodiversity

In March 2021, 162 beehives were already installed at the Andévalo photovoltaic plant (Huelva) with the aim of preserving biodiversity in the environment and protecting a species such as bees, while advancing in the strategy of decarbonising the economy.

60 kilos of honey produced in the photovoltaic plant were collected and given to various women's associations in the area. The honey was used to make artisanal sweets that were sold at a charity market, the proceeds of which will go to those affected by the volcano on La Palma.

Iberdrola has also recently started up the first intelligent agrovoltaic plant in Spain at the González Byass and Grupo Emperador vineyards located in the town of Guadamur, Toledo. This innovative installation allows the layout of the modules to be adapted to the needs of the vineyards, in order to regulate the incidence of the sun and the temperature by means of the shade of the panels.

Iberdrola has carried out more than 1,450 biodiversity protection actions in the last three years, combining the installation of renewable projects with the conservation of the biological diversity of ecosystems, caring for flora, fauna and natural heritage.