If you have seen any documentaries or vlogs about traveling through southern Spain, you will know that the Andalusian landscape is very distinctive. The rural environment around Seville is usually flat, arid, and fairly dry. However, the ochre of the harvest is giving way to an unnatural landscape characterized by the bright blue of solar panels. This is the situation in one of the many towns in Seville, Carmona. Many residents of this town are facing this dilemma.
José Portillo is a farmer who owns his land and has received an offer that is difficult to resist: €1,900 for each hectare leased on a long-term basis to energy companies. Until now, he only made €100 per hectare from his land if he used it to grow wheat. How could he possibly turn down such a financial improvement?
The Land Dilemma: Why is Change so Tempting?
Traditional rain-fed agriculture has always been very precarious: due to climate volatility, low prices, and high production costs, the average Andalusian farmer has an uncertain and volatile income. A year of extreme drought or explosive cyclogenesis with heavy rainfall can ruin the entire harvest until the following year.
The energy companies’ proposal is an irresistible offer. It comes with a fixed, secure income that is much higher than what they had before. It is almost like passing a competitive exam and having a permanent, secure civil service position until retirement. At first, these farmers see economic relief and the possibility of a stable retirement.
The Long-Term Contract: Securing the Future
Unlike traditional crops, which can be rotated each year, this type of contract is usually long-term. After all, the fixed cost of investing in infrastructure is enormous, and solar panels have a long useful life. Contracts generally last between 20 and 40 years. They are usually structured with an initial option phase and then the main lease. The debate arises when the owner commits the land for one or two generations, which generates debate about the agricultural future of these soils.
The case of José Portillo with his land in the municipality of Carmona is not just one of thousands of cases nationwide in Spain. In Carmona alone, there are already 28 projects in the pipeline. The mayor himself admits that there is a solar boom with millions of euros at stake. For now, the agricultural area used for cultivation has fallen to only 20-30%.
This is where another national conflict comes in: we run the risk of moving from food sovereignty to dependence on other countries for food. Although everyone is free to do what they want with their land, some economists continue to point out whether priority should be given to the production of “clean energy” or to ensuring food production on the most fertile land. For now, some residents of Carmona are already lamenting that their communities are losing the agricultural essence that characterized them.
The disadvantages of solar energy
The widespread installation of solar panels does not necessarily mean energy security. Unfortunately, solar and wind energy are “intermittent”: they depend on external factors such as solar index and wind speed. They require backup and storage systems, which are very expensive. This is why coal-fired power plants, hydroelectric power plants, and, yes, nuclear power plants are still needed today to maintain stability in the national power grid.
This type of imbalance between electricity supply and demand on the grid caused the major blackout on the Iberian Peninsula on April 28, 2025. According to expert analysts, it was due to an excess of green energy supply without sufficient management capacity and backup stability. Ironically, an excess of solar and wind energy left two countries without electricity for an entire day.