Q Energy has started construction of a 52MW solar farm project in Extremadura, in Spain.
Cabrovales 1 will consist of more than 96,000 solar modules, which will be optimised using a tracker system.
Commissioning of the plant is scheduled for 2025.
Cabrovales 1 will be built on an area of 100 hectares in the municipality of Fuente de Cantos in the province of Badajoz and will also support local biodiversity.
The shade provided by the PV modules will reduce evaporation, increasing soil moisture and encouraging vegetation and natural bird colonisation.
Dedicated animal shelters will support this process and also provide habitats for reptiles such as lizards.
Approximately 20 hectares will be landscaped specifically for this purpose and will remain untouched in the future.
The impact of these measures will be monitored by a regional research project, which will continuously analyse the number of bird species and their populations.
Eduardo de la Hera, Head of Development Iberia at Q Energy, said: “The Cabrovales project is currently our sixth construction site in Spain, with many more green power plants to follow.
“We are currently developing a pipeline of over 6GW of solar projects across the country, which will go into construction successively over the coming months and years.
“We are working closely with local authorities and, wherever possible, we are engaging regional companies to strengthen the local economy.”