Rafael Benjumea, from FLS Solar, has been re-elected as president of the Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) during the General Assembly held by the Association this Wednesday in Madrid, a position he has held since 2020. During these four years of mandate, the sector has experienced key regulatory changes and experienced moments of record growth due to exceptional circumstances.
The recently re-elected president of the UNEF, Rafael. Benjumea wanted to thank the partners for the renewed trust they have placed in him and has committed to “continue working to develop the full potential of the national photovoltaic sector as an economic engine and long-term job generator, as well as to continue demonstrating the strength of it and of the companies that comprise it; as well as ensuring the future and stability of self-consumption.”
At the Assembly, which was held with the representation of more than 800 companies, the entity’s new Board of Directors was also voted on, made up of 19 members representing all sections (installers and engineers, producers, manufacturers, distributors, mixing and storage). Specifically, these are the members of the UNEF Board of Directors:
- ENDESA, represented by Mr. Eduardo Moreda.
- FSL SOLAR, represented by Mr. Rafael Benjumea
- SONNEDIX, represented by Mr. Federico de la Hoz García
- ALTEN, represented by Mr. Juan Laso.
- SOLTEC, represented by Mr. Eduardo de San Nicolás Juárez.
- RECURRENT ENERGY, represented by Mr. Carlos Moro.
- HOLALUZ, represented by Ms. Alba Fernández.
- QUALITAS ENERGY, represented by Mr. Pedro Michelena.
- HARMONIC FIFTH, represented by Mr. Marcos Valles Pérez.
- RENOVALIA, represented by Mr. José Manuel Olea Avilés.
- SUD RENEWABLE ENERGIES, represented by Mr. Manel Romero.
- SOLIDEO, represented by Ms. Helena Tejón.
- AMARA NZERO, represented by Mr. David San Miguel.
- RIC ENERGY, represented by Mr. Jesús de Fuentes.
- PRAT ENERGY, represented by Mr. Joan Herrera.
- X-ELIO, represented by Ms. Arancha Martínez.
In the session, in addition to approving the Action Report for the year 2023 and the Statement of Accounts corresponding to the previous year, the main objectives were agreed to promote electrification, find new business areas for the sector (smart cities, smart islands, management integrated demand), as well as seeking common ways to boost the Spanish industrial sector.
Regarding self-consumption, the sector association will continue working in the next three years to improve connections to the distribution network, as well as the regulatory framework for collective self-consumption, eliminate the access and connection permit for self-consumption plants whose installed power is less than the contracted, promote incentives for the development of self-consumption, increase the shared self-consumption distance from 500 to 2000 meters in general and unlock 10% of the capacity reserved for self-consumption at the red distribution level.
For its part, UNEF will continue with the line of public-private dialogue to achieve the resumption of the auctions as well as a calendar for them, a power reserve for distributed generation and the call for capacity contests. The sector association, through the promotion of the Seal of Excellence in Sustainability, will continue working to maintain the positive social perception for projects on the ground through the creation of added value with the territory and citizens. Regarding storage, it is essential to achieve an adequate regulatory and remuneration framework.
Likewise, after the General Assembly, the 1st Edition of the ‘Creators of the Future’ Awards took place, with which the Spanish Photovoltaic Union wanted to recognize those people who have been key in supporting the sector in recent times, standing out for its active involvement in promoting its development.
Inspired by Peter Drucker’s quote, “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” we have named these recognitions the “Future Makers” awards.
Thus, UNEF has awarded Sara Aagesen, Secretary of State for Energy; Manuel Larrasa, Secretary General of Energy of the Junta de Andalucía; Rosa Melchor, mayor of Alcázar de San Juan (Ciudad Real); Juan Ávila, mayor of Carmona (Seville); and Olga García, counselor for the Ecological Transition and Sustainability of the Government of Extremadura from 2019 to 2023.
“Photovoltaic energy has been and will continue to be a transformative element of Spanish society as well as a guarantee of creating new opportunities not only for the future but for a present that is already happening. MITERD’s drive has always been and will continue to be to continue consolidating a sector represented in UNEF that is key for our country project and for the containment of the climate emergency,” declared Sara Aagesen during the presentation of the Creators of the Future Award.
