- The 17 solar plants that belong to Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power Spain, in Spain have for the first time reached this milestone that represents the annual consumption of a city like La Coruña.
- Endesa is continuing to develop solar projects throughout Spain and before the end of the year will put into service more than 600 MW of new capacity with this technology.
Endesa has just surpassed the first terawatt hour (TWh) of green energy production thanks to its solar installations distributed throughout Spain. It is a milestone in the production of this type of energy since it is the first time that this figure has been reached in a year, so it is estimated that 2021 will close with 1.1 TWh of solar energy production.
The first TWh of production achieved by Endesa's solar installations in Spain is equivalent to the annual consumption of a city of about 250,000 inhabitants. It should be noted that this record was made possible thanks to solar production in the 17 solar installations belonging to Endesa's renewable subsidiary, Enel Green Power Spain, in Extremadura, Andalusia, Murcia and the Balearic Islands.
This first TWh of solar energy is in addition to the 10 TWh of renewable energy production from other sources such as wind and hydroelectric plants that Endesa has throughout Spanish territory.
In these installations, which have an installed capacity of 612 MW, 38 people work undertaking operation and maintenance activities in these plants, 50% of which comes from the coal plants that Endesa is closing down with the objective of zero emissions by 2040. In the specific case of Endesa's solar plants operating in Mallorca, all the employees used to work in the Alcudia power station, so they have found new professional development in the renewable sector.
In addition to reaching that TWh of renewable production, these Endesa solar plants have gone further and have also become ecosystems for the protection of local species, plant cultivation, sheep grazing and even shelter for bees that now produce the first solar honey. Specifically, Endesa's plants in Totana (Murcia), Valdecaballeros and Augusto (Extremadura), and soon Carmona (Seville), have agrophotovoltaic crops, in other words, plantations under solar panels that enable the generation of local agriculture with indigenous products.
In the same way, all Endesa plants have local shepherds whose flocks collaborate in clearing work, but where sheep-farming traditions do not reach, Endesa applies the latest technology using state-of-the-art robots for this task. To this we should add the first Endesa solar apiary in Spain, installed in the Carmona solar plant where honeycombs, panels and the latest technology coexist with intelligent hives equipped with surveillance systems for weight and temperature and a domotic opening.
Endesa is committed to a blend of tradition and innovation, and to sharing and not competing for land use, and in this regard it will continue to develop new renewable facilities. Precisely before the end of the year, the company plans to install 600 MW of new solar power and is continuing to process new renewable capacity in order for all the energy produced to be emission-free by 2040.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end business from generation to marketing and through Endesa X also offers value-added services aimed at the decarbonisation of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and therefore strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the electrification of the economy and Corporate Social Responsibility. The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers around 9,600 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, Europe’s largest electricity group.