Press Release
- The awards recognized individuals and institutions that, across a wide range of fields, have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to advancing a sustainable, responsible energy transition that creates value for society.
- The 2026 "Creators of the Future" award recipients were Alipio García Rodríguez, Director General for the Energy Transition of Castilla-La Mancha; Luis Calderón, Roberto Baños, and Eduardo Fernández, the mayors of Paredes de Nava, Talayuela, and Villanueva del Pardillo, respectively; Daniel Pérez, Managing Director of L'Energètica; and Luis Merino, Editor of Energías Renovables magazine.
Madrid, June 17, 2025. The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF) yesterday held the third edition of its "Creators of the Future" Awards, an annual initiative that recognizes individuals and institutions from a wide range of fields for their outstanding commitment to advancing solar energy and promoting a sustainable, responsible energy transition that creates value for society.
The "Creators of the Future" Awards are inspired by Peter Drucker's famous quote: "The best way to predict the future is to create it." Through these awards, the photovoltaic sector recognizes those whose support for solar energy and exemplary leadership are helping to build a more resilient, fair, and sustainable future.
The awards ceremony took place at the NH Collection Madrid Suecia Hotel, following UNEF's General Assembly held at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando. The awards were presented by Miguel Rodrigo, CEO of IDAE; Rafael Benjumea, President of UNEF; and José Donoso, CEO of UNEF.
Six leaders committed to local communities, innovation and quality information
The 2026 "Creators of the Future" Awards were presented to:
Luis Calderón, Mayor of Paredes de Nava (Palencia)
Recognized for demonstrating that the energy transition can help reverse rural depopulation and create new opportunities in rural areas, enabling Paredes de Nava to move against the demographic decline affecting much of rural Spain.
"Paredes de Nava's socio-economic development strategy is driven by renewable energy," said Luis Calderón upon receiving the award. "Our new municipal model is based on social innovation centred on culture, repopulation and agri-food development. The turning point came with the arrival of renewable energy projects and the municipality's determination to ensure these projects were developed on communal land so that their benefits could reach all residents while creating new, locally rooted opportunities in the agri-food sector."
"In what is often referred to as Spain's depopulated rural heartland, we have continued to grow. We have gone ten years without raising a single local tax while welcoming 180 new residents."
Roberto Baños, Mayor of Talayuela (Cáceres)
Recognized for exemplifying outstanding municipal leadership and for demonstrating that collaboration between public authorities and private companies can generate lasting benefits for society. His work has contributed to building a fairer, more inclusive energy transition firmly rooted in local communities.
"I feel privileged to have helped improve the lives of the people of Talayuela thanks to the tremendous opportunities that solar parks have brought to our municipality, both economically and socially, which is especially important in rural areas. We have strengthened municipal finances, local businesses have been able to grow, and the excellent collaboration with the project developer from the outset has enabled us to launch training and employability programmes for young people, women and people at risk of social exclusion, such as the 'Attracting Talent' programme," said the Mayor of Talayuela.
Eduardo Fernández, Mayor of Villanueva del Pardillo (Madrid)
Honoured for his commitment to sustainable development and his support for advancing the energy transition at the municipal level. He was recognized for creating the conditions that enabled the construction of the first grid-connected photovoltaic power plant in the Madrid region that is not intended for self-consumption, demonstrating that municipalities can play a key role in energy innovation by facilitating pioneering projects that contribute to decarbonization, energy security and sustainable development.
The award was accepted on his behalf by Francisco Funes, Councillor of Villanueva del Pardillo, who stated: "Being pioneers in the Madrid region is a great honour for Villanueva del Pardillo. We will continue working to ensure that renewable energy continues to advance across our region."
Alipio García Rodríguez, Director General for the Energy Transition of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha
Recognized for driving the region's energy transition through the development of renewable energy, while promoting self-consumption and energy communities. These efforts have helped establish Castilla-La Mancha as one of Spain's leading regions in the field. The photovoltaic sector also acknowledged his work in attracting investment, creating new development opportunities, and bringing the benefits of an energy transition based on dialogue, sustainability and territorial cohesion closer to citizens.
"I am simply the visible face of this work, but this award also belongs to the teams behind it," said Alipio García upon receiving the award. "It belongs to our civil service team, whose members work tirelessly every day to process as many applications as possible. And it belongs to our political team, who believe in politics in its truest sense: serving the public, managing public affairs, and working for every citizen and every business operating in Castilla-La Mancha."
Daniel Pérez, CEO of L'Energètica
Honoured for his outstanding professional career dedicated to advancing renewable energy and the energy transition, for his contribution to the photovoltaic sector, and for his pioneering leadership as CEO of Catalonia's public energy company, L'Energètica, promoting innovative renewable generation projects and strengthening the role of clean energy as a driver of economic and social progress.
"This award is especially meaningful to me because it comes from an association such as UNEF, which has played an important role throughout my professional career and has done outstanding work in promoting solar energy—the most modular and affordable technology available to us, and a fundamental tool for social and economic transformation."
Luis Merino, Editor of Energías Renovables magazine
Recognized on behalf of Energías Renovables magazine as it celebrates its 25th anniversary, in recognition of its outstanding track record as Spain's leading specialist publication covering the energy and environmental sectors. Through independent, rigorous and committed journalism, the magazine has helped bring both the achievements and the challenges of the energy transition closer to society.
"We are truly delighted that the sector has recognized the work we have been doing for so many years. When we received the news of this award, many things came to mind, including a few lines from a wonderful song by Basque singer-songwriter Benito Lertxundi. The song is called 'Urrundik Heldu Naiz' and says: 'I come from far away; I have walked so far that the dust has made wheat grow between my toes.' I am convinced that almost everyone here could sing those words. The road is made by walking, and we know we still have a long way to go. The future is not something we can simply wait for—we must imagine it and create it."
