“Ain’t No Sunshine”

26 May 2022

Solar power is amongst the options for providing green energy on the route to net zero. But of course, to make it work you need the sun to shine. 

And that might be challenging sometimes in places like La Hermida, a small town lying roughly halfway along the mountainous route leading to the remote village of Cosgaya where my wife and I are holidaying in northern Spain. 

As mentioned earlier this week, the road on which La Hermida stands is characterised by the near vertical gorge walls that dwarf it, and the narrowing of the valley produced by the erosion of the River Deva. 

The steepness of the surrounding terrain means that for several months in autumn and winter, it does not directly receive the sun's rays. 

Now admittedly, technology will improve and modern solar panels can harvest more ambient light. But in locations that are not blessed with frequent sunshine, some kind of backup resource will be essential, like a diesel generator. 

So, as the blog frequently maintains, we will need all energy options – including fossil fuels – for some time yet. 

Incidentally, this climatic feature is part of the region’s folklore. The Osa de Ándara is a mythical she-bear inhabiting the local Picos de Europa mountains. She goes away with the arrival of snow, but reappears with the good weather to resume various mischievous activities.

I’ll keep a lookout! 

● By the way, when we parked at La Hermida, I was surprised to see an electric vehicle charge point (pictured below). Another post earlier this week discussed the challenges that EV hirers could face if renting a car to drive in remote parts of an unfamiliar country. So that's a positive sign although, given the remote nature of this region, on some roads in this area there isn't a filling station for many miles, let alone a charge point.    

The song title behind today’s post? Click here. 

Photos: Alan Guthrie