Spain – Iberdrola has begun operations of the Arauelo III solar plant (40 MW), which is Spain’s first photovoltaic project to incorporate a storage system, in this case a 3 MW battery with a capacity of 9 MWh.
In this manner, Iberdrola advances its program of innovative projects targeted at optimizing energy use and promoting the optimal integration of renewable energy sources into the power system.
Arauelo III is located in the municipality of Romangordo (Cáceres, Extremadura). It is part of the Campo Arauelo complex, which also includes the Arauelo I, II, and III solar plants. Iberdrola committed 80 million euros in the development of this photovoltaic complex, which boosted industry and job possibilities in the region: the construction phase employed 500 people, and practically all field work and civil engineering was contracted out to local firms.
Power for 65,000 houses
Campo Arauelo is currently providing enough sustainable energy to power the equivalent of 65,000 houses annually, avoiding the emission of 41,000 tons of CO2.
Arauelo III demonstrates the company’s unwavering commitment to Extremadura and its leadership role in the region’s unique renewable energy sector, where it now operates 3,200 MW, about 1,200 MW of which is photovoltaic.
1700 MW renewables under construction
Arauelo III’s commissioning follows the company’s commissioning of other renewable energy projects totaling more than 1,500 MW in the last year. In Extremadura, these are the Nez de Balboa, Campo de Arauelo I and II, and Ceclavn projects.
Iberdrola is currently constructing 1,700 MW of renewable energy capacity in Spain and has a portfolio of over 17,000 MW across the Iberian Peninsula. Iberdrola is the market leader in Spain’s renewable energy sector, with installed capacity of more than 17,000 MW, which will be increased to 25,000 MW by 2025 as part of the company’s investment strategy.
Incubator for new storage technologies
Arauelo III is Spain’s first renewable energy plant to incorporate batteries. The company is developing or has secured 200 MW of battery storage capacity, some of which has already been installed, and has a 900 MW battery storage portfolio globally.
In Spain, Iberdrola is constructing the Puertollano project (Ciudad Real), Europe’s first and largest green hydrogen plant, powered by a 100 MW solar array and a 20 MWh Li-ion battery system.
The battery will be constructed at the Elgea-Urkilla (32 MW) wind farm in lava, Basque Country, and will have an installed capacity of 5 MW and a storage capacity of 5 MWh. It will be the first battery to be installed at a wind farm in Spain. Additionally, it has proposed another 6 MW plant at the Abadiano TS in Vizcaya. Iberdrola will deploy batteries in the Canary Islands at the Ifara and El Vallito wind farms near Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, which will include a 12 MW storage system.
Storage systems are critical for tackling the energy transition’s difficulties and are poised to become a critical component of the future electrical grid. This is because they allow for an improvement in the quality of the electricity supply by maintaining the network’s stability and reliability and integrating and exploiting renewable energy sources.
Green investments to promote economic recovery
For two decades, Iberdrola has been at the forefront of the energy transition, playing a critical role in the transformation of the industrial fabric and the green recovery of the economy and jobs.
To accomplish this, the company has launched a historic investment plan worth €150 billion over the next decade (€75 billion by 2025) with the goal of tripling its renewable capacity to nearly 100,000 megawatts (MW), doubling its network assets, and capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the energy revolution currently sweeping the world’s leading economies. By 2025, it expects to invest 14.3 billion euros in Spain, including 7 billion euros reserved for renewable energy projects.
Iberdrola is a market leader in renewable energy with 35,000 MW installed globally; a number that makes its generation park one of the cleanest in the energy sector.
