The Xàtiva solar park proposes a 489-meter vegetation screen to preserve the landscape.

An aesthetic screen

The 9.27 hectare solar park promoted by Esparity Solar on land in the municipality of Xàtiva bordering Manuel and Castelló will be surrounded by a 500 meter long vegetation screen to reduce its visibility as much as possible in an environment of singular landscape value due to the union of the Júcar river basin and the Central Mountain Range.
This is at least one of the main measures contemplated in the integration study presented by the developer, which is immersed in a public participation plan to finalize the design of the future plant before obtaining the permits from the Generalitat. Yesterday, the documents related to this process were published, together with some citizen surveys that give continuity to the day organized by Esparity a few days ago to make the “Casa Llum” project known to the citizens and to gather proposals for improvement from the different local groups invited to participate.
According to the company, the photovoltaic complex would produce 11,000 megawatts of energy per year and could save 4,374 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the energy generated by 3,500 homes or absorbed by 26,000 trees.

A British company promotes a 9-hectare solar park in Xàtiva

The environmental restoration plan proposed by the company, budgeted at 137,031 euros, includes the creation of a 489-meter vegetation screen on the outside of the fence that would cover the entire eastern slope of the plant, more visible from nearby strategic enclaves, once the construction phase of the photovoltaic park is completed. The row of trees and shrubs will be composed of yellow broom, gorse and winter heather, placed alternately, separated at a distance of 2 meters from each other and 0.5 meters away from the fence of the facility, respecting the areas with existing natural vegetation, according to the landscape integration study.

Infographic of the solar park planned between Xàtiva, Manuel and Castelló.

After the execution of the park, the developer would also undertake to plant 552 specimens, as well as to replace 110 feet of dead plants, to revegetate 2,764 m2 of interior tesserae and to decompact the land and spread topsoil over an area of 13,989 m2.

Presentation of the solar project "Casa Llum" in Xàtiva

The Casa de la Llum project is being developed between the Randero mountain range – where the Santa Anna hill and its hermitage stand out – and the Salinas de Manuel mountain ranges and next to the Cuenca ravines and the Albaida river, next to the road linking Llosa de Ranes and Manuel, near the old Teixonera landfill. The 5.803 MW photovoltaic installation will have 9,360 photovoltaic panels and will be connected to the electricity grid through a 2.45 kilometer evacuation line that will run mostly subway to the town of Castelló, with an overhead section of only 134 meters in length.
Presentation of the photovoltaic project “Casa Llum “PERALES IBORRA
Crops and pine forests
The solar plant is located in an area of woody crops, mainly orange trees, accompanied by natural vegetation of pine forests in the mountainous areas. Nearby is the Castellet de Castelló (declared BIC), located 1.85 km away, or the micro-reserve of flora “Font Amarga”, at a distance of 596 m. The installation would be slightly visible from the northwest of the town of Manuel, located 1.9 km away, and from the southeast end of the town of Carraixet, 1.2 km away.
The alternative location was chosen after analyzing other sites in the surrounding area where the impact of the park would be greater.
The natural slopes of the Salinas and Serreta de Randero mountain ranges, together with their pine forests, constitute the main visual barrier to the project in the eyes of observers.
Nearby are also paths of historical interest of the Roman road of the Via Augusta, the route of the Caminos del Este del Camino de Santiago and the route of the Defensa del Sur del Camino del Cid. Therefore, the landscape quality of the area is classified as medium-high. “The natural slopes of the Salinas and Serreta de Randero mountain ranges, together with their pine forests, constitute the main visual barrier of the project to the eyes of observers,” the study details. Therefore, the implementation of a vegetation screen that reduces the perception of the photovoltaic park “would mean a significant reduction in the visibility of the project, improving its integration in this environment”.
During daylight hours, the Casa Llum plant will generate direct current electricity that will be injected into the grid through inverters once it has been transformed into alternating current. The energy will be metered and sold to the utility company.

Translation of original article taken from Levante

Photo:  Hugo Sibony, Project Manager (Esparity Solar) gives a presentation of the photovoltaic project “Casa Llum” PERALES IBORRA