Mariano Barroso worked for 24 years in the beverage industry, but in 1995 he changed course and bet on clean energy. Today, he is president of Aprean, the Andalusian renewable energy industry association.
Source: https://www.diariosur.es/20110123/economia/dinero-empleo/movido-renovables-201101231126.html
Although born in a small village in the Valle de los Pedroches, Barroso considers himself more Málaga-born than Cordoban—“though I mostly feel Andalusian,” he emphasizes. Indeed, he has spent more than half his life in Málaga, where he stayed to work immediately after completing his degree in Industrial Engineering at the former Cooperativa Lechera Malagueña (Colema). It was also in Málaga where he met his wife, María Pura Pidal, whom he calls “my greatest support, along with our three children.”
After working for 24 years in beverage companies—first at Colema, then five years at Coca-Cola, and later 18 years at Bacardi—Barroso found himself, at age 48 in 1994, facing a major life decision: either leave the city to keep his job after a corporate restructuring, or stay and face unemployment.
“I chose the latter,” he says, “but I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and with the support of my great friend Eduardo Merigó, who was then president of Visa Europe, I entered the world of renewable energy—which at that time was almost completely unknown, and people thought I was speaking a foreign language,” Barroso recalls.
From this alliance with businessman Merigó came the first wind farm projects in the Campo de Gibraltar, particularly in Tarifa and Los Barrios, in the province of Cádiz.
“From the very beginning, I saw the potential and bright future of this type of energy. Even in times of economic hardship like the one we’re in now, the future lies in renewable energy,” affirms the head of Toquero Renovables S.L. (Torsa), the family corporation he founded in 2007 to manage their stakes in a dozen wind farms, photovoltaic plants, and biomass energy projects—all based in Andalusia.
“Spain, and Andalusia in particular, is a benchmark in this field because we were pioneers in renewable energy, and that’s something we must continue to build on. Fifteen years in the renewable sector is a whole legacy,” says Barroso. In 2002, he was appointed president of Aprean, the Association of Renewable Energy Promoters and Producers of Andalusia, which currently represents 70 companies in the region.
“We’re proud to get calls from Turkey, Poland, the United States, and South America, asking us to share our projects and experiences—because they’re replicating what we’ve been doing here for more than a decade,” reflects the public face of Aprean. He recalls that the only condition he placed on accepting the presidency of the association was that its headquarters be located in Málaga.
“It’s such a welcoming city, a melting pot of cultures with great tolerance. I don’t think there’s another city like it in the world,” he adds.
Confidence in the Future
Regarding the current state of the renewables sector, Barroso doesn’t hide the fact that the financial crisis has had an impact:
“It’s affecting us like everyone else. This is a credit availability crisis, and if your goal is to invest, it’s hard to access liquidity,” he explains.
Nevertheless, this clean energy pioneer remains firmly convinced of the sector’s future and profitability, not just economically, but socially as well. He is confident that the EU’s 2020 target—for 20% of energy consumed to come from renewable sources—can be achieved. Currently, that figure stands at 12%.
“We need to get out of this crisis, no matter what—but without losing sight of the fact that the future depends on clean energy. I mean, what’s the point of continuing to burn oil? Each barrel takes another 5,000 years to form. The sun, the wind, water, and biomass give us clean, infinite energy that doesn’t pollute,” he reflects.
“Even in Qatar, they’re asking about solar energy now—because they know the oil will run out someday!” he exclaims.
