Meet the Team – Rafael del Río
MEET THE TEAM – RAFAEL DEL RÍO
- What is your role in BNZ?
Project Manager in the Engineering and Construction Department for projects in Italy. I am responsible for overseeing projects during the construction phase, ensuring deadlines and quality.
- How long have you been working in the renewable energy sector?
Since 2017, starting with the monitoring of small photovoltaic parks of just over 1 MW.
- How do you think the sector has changed in these years?
The biggest change is in the size of the projects we are building today. During the first boom in Spain, around 2007, when incentives were in place, the largest plants were barely 2 or 3 MWp. Technology has moved on to more efficient and much more profitable solutions.
- What are the main challenges for the sector in the coming years?
There is a lot of talk in the industry about the need to balance and regulate energy in the grid. But I think another big challenge we face is coexistence with the environment. In other words, we need to continue to innovate and develop solutions that are symbiotic with the spaces and environments where these types of projects are installed, whether it is with the surrounding fauna or with the local societies, for example, being able to maintain agricultural work on these lands.
- And in the long term?
One of the biggest long-term challenges is distributed generation, where there will be millions of small producers, and we will have to ensure that the electricity distribution network does not break down. I imagine that in a few decades’ time, in the same way that the TSO now sends control commands to large power plants, control commands will be sent to our homes.
- What does BNZ have that its competitors don’t?
One of our greatest values is the dedication of our entire team. Even though we are a small company, we achieve the same goals as larger organisations. We strive to add value to our projects at a local level; this is something that is beginning to take shape in our more advanced projects and will undoubtedly make a difference.
- How do you see BNZ in 5 years?
I hope we will have a large portfolio of assets already consolidated, with a focus on new solutions, such as technologies that harness tidal energy, hydrogen plants, batteries, etc.
- Which countries are making greater efforts for photovoltaic energy?
I think it’s a global race; I’d say there’s a global awareness and we see how renewable energies, especially photovoltaics, can contribute to the fight against climate change, which is so present in our times. Without a doubt, the biggest support for photovoltaic projects is in the more developed countries and those with limited fossil fuel reserves, with Europe being a prime example.
- What would you ask public administrations to promote this type of clean energy?
Like many in this sector, public administrations have been somewhat overwhelmed by this “boom” and have gradually put mechanisms in place to regulate this transition. However, if we want to meet the ambitious goals we have for 2030 and 2050, there must be legislative uniformity and simpler bureaucratic processes. The administrations must also commit to reaching these targets and provide more resources.
- And the citizens?
Here I believe that the work is more on the side of the producers, who must promote added value to communities and citizens. These, in turn, must give renewables a chance and see them not as a benefit for the few, but as a community asset. For this to happen, it is essential that projects create local synergies.
- What do you do in your day to day to reduce your carbon footprint?
At BNZ we are allowed to work remotely, so I avoid using transport to get to the office every day. I try to minimise car use and always walk or cycle.
In Depth
- A hobby: Water sports; I’m getting back to my friendship with surfing, as well as lifelong learning. I’m always studying for a master’s degree or a course.
- A country to travel to: Uruguay
- City to live in: Bilbao
- An animal: The koala
- A film or TV series: This is Us
- A book: ‘The monk who sold his Ferrari’ by Robin S. Sharma
- A type of cuisine: Greek
- A historical figure: Pythagoras
- A colour: Indigo
