In 2021, the Government decided to apply the following rule: all company of renewable energy who wants to install a plant in Catalonia has the obligation to offer Catalans the opportunity to invest your money in the park. The measure was designed to generate more citizen consensus and involvement in the territory where the wind farms. A way to turn citizens into shareholders, who would receive benefits from what those power plants generate economically.
Although companies open 20% of the capital to citizen participation, private investment is almost non-existent
But so far, projects wind farms promoted by private companies they do not convince enough to the Catalans so that they take the step and invest in them. This is the case, at least in the majority of cases, according to what EL PERIÓDICO assures several promoting companies. In the Department of Climate Action they are aware that, for now, the possibility that citizens have of participate in each project is not succeeding.
The measure seeks for citizens to obtain economic returns from wind and solar projects that are installed in their territory
Precisely this week, the new ‘minister’ david mascort spoke of “reaching consensus” and talking with the neighbors to get the acceptance of certain projects. Of all the investment made by the company promoting the wind or photovoltaic park, what opens to citizenship is 20% of participation. The minimum amount to invest it’s 500 euros. Over the years, if the plant performs well, part of the Profitsin proportion to what has been invested, are for the individual who has put money out of pocket.
Many large energy companies have decided to use other companies to handle this equity stake, much like buying shares. found is one of those companies, through which you can invest in clean energy.
reluctant people
Adrian Bautista, co-founder of Fundeen, acknowledges in conversation with this newspaper that Catalonia is not doing as well as in other parts of Spain. The first problem is that the Generalitat is taking time to give the green light to the projects because there are almost 200 on the Administration table: “It’s normal, a small plug has been generated because the proposals accumulate. Administrative slowness generates uncertainty and some projects may expire.” They can be ungrounded soon. “We trust that during the next few weeks the Generalitat has expedited the process,” adds Bautista.
“Perhaps the possibility of investing is not being reported and there is a lack of awareness about renewables”
Fundeen, at this time, offers the possibility of investing in 24 renewable projects, promoted by other companies, which are about to obtain administrative authorization. However, they are not receiving many requests from the Catalans: “Maybe it is not being reported enough of this possibility to enter the capital of the project. But it’s clear that lack of awareness on renewables”.
“Of the projects managed by Fundeen, the one that accumulates the most investments does not reach 1%”
The data is surprising: “In the projects where the most money has been invested in Catalonia by individuals, we barely reached 100,000 euros. And I’m talking about a project of 10 million. That is to say that there is only citizen participation in 1% of the capital, when it could reach 20%”.
The projects only have the obligation to offer the possibility, but if nobody participates they will still go ahead. The company will simply take all the profits. “The investor, by law, always charges before the developer, so he is reasonably easy to obtain profitability. If you put 500 euros, in 10 years you could earn about 200 or 300 euros net, in addition to recovering what you invested,” says Bautista.
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According to the Fundeen co-founder, neighborhood investment in renewables serves to generate a more palpable socioeconomic impact. “When there is a wind farm, the municipality improves its budgets due to the rates paid by the company, but one does not take advantage of the resource personally,” Bautista comments.
“On the other hand, when you are allowed to invest a small amount, this is different. Since you are going to spend 30 years looking at wind turbines and that another company is taking advantage of the resource, when you look at the generator you may think that the benefits of this return that have given the blades is for you”, he assures.
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They demand support from the Generalitat and the developer companies to help them send a positive message: “There is a lack of knowledge and the opposition to the projects on the part of some neighbors is not helping either. My perception is that people do not even know that they can get money for the wind farms that are installed in his town.
At the moment, the almost 200 projects are still waiting on the Administration table. When they go ahead, if that is the case, if there is no neighborhood participation, it will be the developer company that gets 100% of the profits generated by the energy produced.