Sun and honey: the photovoltaic beehive that helps bees

Renewable energy plants are not only good for the environment because they produce clean, emission-free electricity, but also because they can contribute to the protection of animal and plant species that are invaluable to the ecosystem and to all mankind. A great example of this is the recent initiative launched by Enel Green Power in Spain at the Las Corchas photovoltaic plant in Carmona, not far from Seville. The plant began operating at the end of 2020, at the same time as its twin facility in Los Naranjos, and boasts a total of 250,000 photovoltaic modules that produce an overall peak capacity of 100 MW, enough to power 30 thousand homes. The Solar Apiary project is included in the Enel Group’s sustainability strategy of Creating Shared Value (CSV), which aims to develop actions that generate value for the communities in the areas where we operate. The bees of the future Las Corchas is located in an area traditionally used for producing honey, so EGP considered about twenty local beekeepers and chose Juan Ignacio López, whose family has been in the beekeeping business for four generations, to create a futuristic bee farm featuring innovative technologies and intelligent beehives within the photovoltaic park. López is the owner of Loramiel, a company that is unique in its field, not only raising bees for the production of honey, but also selling whole swarms and queens to other beekeepers, thereby helping maintain a centuries-old farming tradition that has been severely tested in recent years due to the worrying decline in bee populations and in pollinating insects in general. Juan and his son are the fourth and fifth generations of his family that have been involved in this business. High-tech hives Endesa, Enel’s Spanish subsidiary, has involved two Spanish startups, Protofy and SmartBee, in a cutting-edge project that is already producing “solar honey” at the Las Corchas photovoltaic plant. López is also an innovative entrepreneur, and it was of enormous value to him to be able to count on this initiative, which equips beehives with a range of technological devices to ensure the utmost wellbeing of the bees, check on honey production remotely, and even prevent theft. These high-tech hives are equipped with special sensors to measure internal temperature and humidity, parameters that are of fundamental importance to the bees’ health. Moreover, they also incorporate systems to regulate the opening and closing of the entrance to the hives, thereby modulating the air circulation inside. There are also webcams for the remote observation of the swarms as well as automated weighing mechanisms to monitor in real time the quantity of honey being produced. Finally, thanks to GPS trackers, the hives are fully traceable and therefore more protected if any thefts were to occur. An asset for the community “We really liked the idea right away,” confides beekeeper Juan Ignacio López, “because we immediately saw its innovative value. What’s more, we share a vision of raising public awareness about the world of bees and the traditions of our work, which is in no way in conflict with technology.” The Las Corchas project fits in perfectly with our Group’s mission of integrating renewable energy plants with local economies. Inmaculada Fiteni, Head of Sustainability at Endesa, further clarified the concept: “Incorporating traditional production activities into our energy production sites is a common feature of our photovoltaic projects and creates added value for the local community, promoting the idea of sharing the use of the local area rather than competing for or appropriating it. The solar bee farm at Las Corchas involves the Carmona local government as well as associations and businesses from the area: we’re all working together with the aim of making this power plant an asset for everyone.” A social purpose The “solar honey” produced at the plant is destined for local retail businesses in Carmona as well as the nuns at the town’s convent, who will use it to make artisanal local sweets. The proceeds from the sale of these products will then be used to finance social projects. The honey will also be used by a local bakery where, as well as being sold directly to the public, it will be used to make a special bread. The labels and the packaging for this project have been designed by a Carmona association for people with disabilities, which already played an active role in the construction of the photovoltaic plant. In this way, the entire local community is involved in the project and they will all learn about the honey being produced thanks in part to the photovoltaic panels at Las Corchas. Energy efficiency and sustainability Beekeeping is just one of a number of activities that we are trialing in the field of agrivoltaics in order to combine the sustainable use of the land and the protection of biodiversity on the sites of our solar power plants. The goal is to identify farming activities involving crops or animals that can coexist with photovoltaic panels without having to significantly modify their layout, in order to contain costs and maintain productivity. By promoting a diversified use of the land and improving ecosystem services, we aim to create shared value for the local community through an approach that involves dialogue with multiple stakeholders. This is an example of intelligent cooperation with the local area, where renewables are not taking land away from local agriculture. It is also a circular economy project that exemplifies the idea of sustainable future development and respects traditional local activities, a principle that Enel Green Power puts into practice at all of its renewable power plants.

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Sun and honey: the photovoltaic beehive that helps bees

Sun and honey: the photovoltaic beehive that helps bees

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