EDP Renováveis (EDPR), a leading company in the global development of renewable energies, announced the entry into operation of the first hybrid wind-solar photovoltaic park in Spain. In August last year, the Company had announced the installation of a complex of this type in Poland, with the connection of a 45 MW photovoltaic park to the 79.5 MW Pawlowo wind farm.
Located in Santa María del Cubillo, in the province of Ávila, in the central area of the country, the “Cruz de Hierro” wind farm has 22 wind turbines, an installed power of 14.5 MW and has been in operation since 2000. With more than 25,000 bifacial photovoltaic solar panels installed on a single site, the complex will significantly increase renewable energy production, with a combined installed capacity of 28.75 MW. Together, the projects will produce more than 58 GWh of electricity per year, energy that would be enough to power the equivalent of more than 17,000 homes per year.
EDPR was the first company in Spain to receive, in June 2023, authorization from the IDAE (Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving) to connect a hybrid park that combines these two technologies to the grid.
By adding solar energy to an operating wind project, EDPR contributes significantly to the energy transition in the region, avoiding the emission of more than 24,000 tons of CO2 per year, which corresponds to the capture of more than 40,000 adult trees.
The connection to the grid of the first hybrid park in Spain represents an important advance in the country’s electricity sector, since it maximizes the production of renewable energy and allows the energy transition objectives to be achieved more quickly. The hybridization of projects in operation promotes the complementarity of energy sources. When one source is inactive, due to a possible lack of natural resources, the other can guarantee energy and contribute to the stability of the electricity supplied to the grid, one of the main concerns of the sector.
“The launch of the first hybrid project in Spain reinforces our commitment to the development of pioneering clean energy projects, in an efficient and sustainable way, in a key market for EDPR. After implementing similar projects in Portugal and Poland, we are satisfied to be able to provide differentiated solutions to the Spanish energy transition,” says Miguel Stilwell d’Andrade, general director of EDP.
With this project, EDP Renováveis becomes the first company to launch projects with hybrid technologies in Portugal, Spain and Poland. EDPR expects to bring two more hybrid parks into operation in Spain in the coming months and has more than 15 wind and solar PV hybridization projects in development, which are expected to add more than 230 MW of renewable capacity to the country in the coming years.
By 2026, EDP intends to invest 25 billion euros in the development and implementation of renewable energy worldwide, of which 40% will be allocated to onshore wind energy and another 40% to large-scale solar energy. . . Spain continues to be a strategic market for EDP, where the company has an installed capacity of almost 2 GW between solar and wind energy, 444 MW in hydraulic energy and where the Company also develops green hydrogen projects.
EDP Renováveis is a world leader in renewable energies, with a presence in 28 markets in South America, North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Headquartered in Madrid and regional offices in Houston, São Paulo and Singapore, EDPR has a solid development portfolio of quality assets and leading operational capacity in the renewable energy market. Highlights include onshore wind, distributed and large-scale solar, offshore wind (OW, through a 50/50 joint venture) and complementary renewable technologies such as storage and green hydrogen.
EDPR’s employee-focused policies have allowed it to be recognized as “Top Workplace 2023” in the United States of America, “Top Employer 2023” in Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Romania, Greece, Portugal and Poland), Colombia and Brazil, in addition to inclusion in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index.
EDPR is a division of EDP (Euronext: EDP), a leader in the energy transition with a focus on decarbonization. In addition to its strong presence in the renewable energy sector (with EDPR and hydroelectric operations), EDP has an integrated presence in public services in Portugal, Spain and Brazil.
