Aquila Clean Energy, a European developer of solar, wind, and battery storage projects, has been given the green light for five new solar plants across Spain, Renewable Energy Magazine reported.
Once operational, the new plants will produce a large combined energy capacity — enough to electrify 345,000 homes each year and slash utility bills for residents. The sites selected are in Palencia, Córdoba, Granada, León, and Toledo, and the company expects the projects to create over 2,400 jobs across those regions, according to Renewable Energy Magazine.
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Since its founding in 2006, Aquila Clean Energy has grown to 270 employees across seven European offices. It has built one of the largest onshore wind farms in Norway, the largest battery energy storage system in Belgium, and additional solar plants in Spain, per its website.
The company's strategy takes it big places, but not without consideration for impact. Aside from ensuring its clean energy projects will benefit local economies, leadership also takes the local ecosystem into account before jumping into new projects.
For example, the newly authorized solar sites will feature protections for local birds, such as underground power lines, nesting boxes, and intentional vegetation. The solar panels will rest above a bed of native plants and within an animal-friendly fence.
The electricity they generate will help Spain avoid 340,000 tons of air pollution every year by burning less coal and oil, Renewable Energy Magazine reported.
"[We combine] a strategic macro view on European clean energy with a local approach to project development, construction, operations, and sustainability," Andrew Wojtek, Aquila's Chief Executive Officer, told Renewable Energy Magazine.
"[These projects] represent a major step forward in our strategy in Spain and underline our commitment to a just energy transition," said Jorge de Miguel, Aquila's Head of Development and Construction in Spain.
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