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De izquierda a derecha: Miguel Asún, director de Generación Térmica de Endesa; Julieta Schallenberg Rodríguez, viceconsejera de Transición Ecológica y Energía de Canarias; Marco Aurelio Pérez Sánchez, alcalde de San Bartolomé de Tirajana; Mariano Hernández Zapata, consejero de Transición Ecológica y Energía de Canarias; Pablo Casado, director de Endesa en Canarias; Antonio Moset, director de Ingeniería y Construcción de Endesa; Alberto Hernández, director general de Energía del Gobierno de Canarias.
- The El Matorral solar plant will not only be capable of generating over 8 MWh of clean energy, but also features a lithium-ion energy storage system that allows more energy to be stored in less space.
- The facility, located within the Barranco de Tirajana thermal power plant, incorporates innovative grid-forming technology into its operation that enhances the reliability of the electricity grid.
- Endesa has invested over €12 million in the construction of this facility, which received a €5.6 million grant from IDAE under Spain’s Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union through the ‘Next Generation EU’ funds.
Today, the regional minister for Ecological Transition and Energy of the Canary Islands, Mariano Hernández Zapata, officially opened the El Matorral solar plant, Spain’s first solar facility to be hybridised with a lithium battery system, alongside Marco Aurelio Pérez Sánchez, Mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and Pablo Casado, Endesa’s Manager in the Canary Islands.
Located within the Barranco de Tirajana thermal power plant in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana in Gran Canaria, the new El Matorral solar plant has an installed capacity of 8.25 MW, equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of about 3,000 households. It also includes a 4.2 MW lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) capable of supplying the average electricity demand of about 2,000 households for two hours.
This innovative battery system serves as electrical backup, improving grid reliability thanks to its grid-forming technology, a first in Spain. It also offers outstanding technological features for energy applications, including modularity, high energy density, and high charge and discharge efficiency. These features allow lithium batteries to store more energy in less space and at a lower weight.
As a result, this becomes the first and largest hybrid photovoltaic plant with battery storage in the Canary Islands, designed to adapt to the unique conditions of isolated electricity systems and to help prevent energy discharges, a key concern for these islands.
El Matorral, a pioneering solar plant
El Matorral is not only a pioneer as the largest hybrid solar plant in the Canary Islands, but also as the only one in Spain equipped with grid-forming inverter technology. Among other things, this technology is designed to mimic the behaviour of a conventional thermal or hydroelectric generator by providing synthetic inertia to the system, which improves grid reliability. Thus, it enables the system to respond almost instantly to sudden changes in the operating conditions of the electricity grid, providing a compensatory reaction to such fluctuations.
Thanks to its battery storage system, the plant maximises the integration of renewable energy on the island, ensuring smooth and safe incorporation of solar energy into the grid. This results in a significant reduction in pollutant emissions, decreases dependence on fossil fuels, and moves towards a more sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly energy model.
The facility is also home to Spain’s first large-scale dry-cleaning solar panel robot. This is the first time this technology has been used on a large scale in Spain, addressing the challenge of keeping photovoltaic modules clean in an area where floating dust can reduce efficiency, while also responding to water scarcity on the island. The robot, equipped with a 5-metre-wide brush, operates autonomously using batteries powered by solar modules that allow it to recharge while in use. Thus it can function continuously for up to 8 hours, reducing cleaning time by 97.5% compared to manual cleaning and eliminating the need for water entirely.
The cleaning system also includes LiDAR radar technology, which enables the robot to detect the position of the solar modules for precise alignment. It is also equipped with safety features such as proximity sensors to prevent damage to the photovoltaic modules and can adapt to uneven terrain, ensuring mobility without affecting the panels.
To maximise the project’s impact on the region, Endesa, through its renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power España, will soon launch a multi-phase participatory microfinancing campaign. The first phase will be open exclusively to residents of nearby municipalities, including San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Agüimes, and Ingenio, before expanding to the entire Canary Islands and, eventually, the rest of Spain.
Construction of El Matorral
Endesa, through its renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power España, invested €12.1 million in the construction of the facility, which received a €5.6 million grant from the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) under the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, funded by the European Union through the ‘Next Generation EU’ funds.
Its construction employed over 30 full-time workers, reaching peaks of up to 60, including specialised professionals. To support local employment, Endesa partnered with the San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town Council to create job pools and offered two specialised training courses for local residents, providing a total of 75 spots.
Furthermore, to restore the surrounding area, Endesa has landscaped extensive areas with over 3,300 native plants, including balos and tarajales. These will create a significant green barrier, improve local ecosystems, and help prevent soil erosion.
The plant is expected to reach 1,960 operating hours in its first year of operation, generating around 16.17 GWh of electricity. This electricity generation will prevent the emission of approximately 1,870 tonnes of CO₂, equivalent to planting nearly 94,000 trees or creating a 74-hectare forest.
With this new solar facility, Endesa—through its subsidiary Enel Green Power España—takes another major step toward its goal of achieving full decarbonisation of the Canary Islands by 2040.
