Who are we?

We are a group of people who live in the Serranía and Camp de Túria areas of Valencia who have come together to expose and fight against the reckless proposals to install so called “renewable” energy in much of the precious countryside in which we are fortunate enough to live in. Some of us are directly affected by the plans of Renovalia’s solar parks, meaning that a solar park or one of the pylons or high tension lines will be put on our land, or very close by, whilst others of us are indirectly affected,feeling that this whole model of producing energy is not sustainable or green in any way. We are united in our belief that the villages and the countryside will never look the same again and irreversible damage will be done by these projects to the environment, biodiversity, and social structures.

 

What do we want?

First of all: we are NOT against renewable energy, We are, however, very much against the way this renewable energy is being exploited and used for speculation in the energy market. The lack of vision from the national government and lax regulations are currently giving large investment companies and hedge funds carte blanche to basically do whatever they want, allowing them to build solar parks or wind farms almost anywhere they want, without sufficient studies of the social, economic and environmental impacts. Using fraudulent practices (such as fragmenting huge projects into smaller ones) they evade the law, making it cheaper and, above all, much easier for them to obtain the land and permissions needed for their projects. By using the right to claim that their projects are of “public utility” (although these are private companies and hedge funds) they only need to secure contracts for 25% of the land that they want to use, to have the right to confiscate the rest (75%), if need be.

We want renewable energy to be generated in a sustainable way. With the preservation of the landscape, the flora and the fauna and the rural way of life. We want the local and national governments to look at alternative locations for these projects so that ‘green energy’ doesn’t come at the cost of the green environment, nature and biodiversity. Solar panels should be on roofs, industrial estates, carparks, along motorways, in abandoned mines and quarries ( of which our area has many) and installed in local autonomous energy projects. This is all very possible, with better planning and the will to install real sustainable energy and not bow down to the pressure of huge, foreign investment companies who are just in it to make a quick profit.

 

If you are wondering if you can help us…

Of course you can help! It is very easy to do so and it can make all the difference!
Here’s how you can help us:
– By telling others about the plans of these large investment companies and the serious consequences of them.
– By being present at demonstrations etc.
– By showing the government, both local and national, that you are against these practices.

In the end it will affect anybody who lives in or near these villages and, frankly, anyone in Spain, because the countryside which is threatened, is a source of food, tourism, biodiversity, wellbeing and the lungs of everyone. We have to protect this against speculation, greenwashing and greed.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. There are several e-mail addresses for the diferent villages from which we operate.