Innovation in electricity generation

With the aim of improving efficiency in energy generation and reducing the impact on the environment, we have developed technological innovation projects in a number of strategic areas. 

Energy storage

Energy storage is key to the decarbonisation of the sector. This is why Endesa is leading its development through pioneering initiatives at European level with the objective of identifying technological solutions that reduce the costs of energy storage, reducing its dependence on critical raw materials and its environmental impact. In this regard, the most important projects include the following:

• The vanadium redox flow battery demonstration project, which was implemented in Mallorca at the Son Orlandis generation plant, is considered the largest vanadium flow battery project in Europe hybridised with a photovoltaic plant.

• Evaluation of new storage technologies at laboratory level, including zinc hybrid cathode technology and sodium-ion batteries.

• Validation of grid-forming solutions integrated into storage plants to provide more robust services to the grid. Demonstration project at a hybrid solar plant with grid-forming storage at the Matorral photovoltaic plant (Gran Canaria).

Robotic solutions

In the area of robot development to support operations, specific projects are being developed to validate autonomous solutions for automatic cleaning of photovoltaic modules. The main projects are:

• Project at the Matorral photovoltaic plant (Gran Canaria).

• Drone school project.

Improvements to and construction of new generation plants

In order to have assets capable of better adapting to market requirements, we have developed technological solutions focussed on improving plant efficiency and increasing operational flexibility. These include the following: Flexibility project in hydroelectric plants.

• Pilot project for the development of digital models of plants to facilitate maintenance processes, as well as a development based on Artificial Intelligence to improve long-term rainfall forecasts in a river basin. 

• Hybrid solar-hydraulic project at the Lleida hydroelectric plant for the photovoltaic use of the canal and man-made environments, and the development of an integrated control model to improve its flexibility.

• In the wind energy sector, new machine learning models have been integrated to enhance predictive maintenance, along with predictive fault detection systems based on noise analysis.

• In the field of efficiency improvement, a pilot project is being developed to improve the advanced control of wind turbines and a field test bench to measure the degradation of solar modules under real operating conditions.

• Pilot project to validate a new technology for reducing ice formation on wind turbine blades as part of the European project 'HORIZON Europe Nanowings'.

• In the photovoltaic area, a project is underway to develop new control strategies for solar trackers, helping to mitigate the effects of adverse conditions at the plant.

• Study of various solutions aimed at reducing external production losses and curtailment in renewable plants, as well as their participation in secondary markets to improve the profitability of these facilities.

 Regarding the construction of new renewable generation plants, the main projects are:

• Testing eco-innovative solutions to improve access to plants.

• Advanced modelling to obtain more accurate wind maps, as well as prediction models for wind and solar resources and plant ageing.

• Reduction of construction lead times using photovoltaic module pre-assembly technologies – a key aspect in the accelerated decarbonisation process. Work is underway on two pre-assembly solutions used in the construction of the Mudéjar and Balbona photovoltaic plants.

Circular economy and innovation to improve the end-of-life of equipment and systems

We are developing projects focused on finding end-of-life solutions for wind assets, with particular emphasis on recycling the composites that make up wind turbine blades. The main project is:

• A project to develop a wind blade recycling plant, focused on the recovery of the glass and carbon fibres that make up the composites of these blades, which would enable the material to be repurposed in other industrial processes. This project is part of the European Blades2Build initiative, under the HORIZON Europe funding programme, with a pilot at the Aldeavieja wind farm.

• Regarding the reduction of the environmental impact of generation activities, we are developing innovative solutions in renewable projects, including high-value-added agrovoltaic models. The main projects are:

• The HORIZON Europe SUSTAINEXT project, which aims to develop a high added-value chain associated with an agrovoltaic model in northern Extremadura.

• Pilot projects in several wind farms to validate new systems for improving the protection of birdlife in the vicinity of wind farms, based on cameras, radar and artificial intelligence.