- The president of the Cabildo de El Hierro, Alpidio Armas, and Endesa's General Manager in the Canary Islands, Pablo Casado, today presented a new project that only in the first phase will involve an investment of more than €10 million.
- The implementation of this initiative will increase clean energy in El Hierro from 50 percent to 80 percent, making it a world leader in renewable energies and self-sufficiency.
- The new photovoltaic plant will be installed on land owned by the island's institution located in Frontera and it is planned to combine energy use with the primary sector.
A new photovoltaic solar plant will be added to the Gorona del Viento energy system to guarantee energy self-sufficiency in El Hierro with renewable sources. The new installation will enable the addition of solar energy to the island's renewable energy mix that already consists of wind and hydropower.
At a press conference today, the president of the Cabildo de El Hierro and Gorona del Viento SA, Alpidio Armas, and Endesa's General Manager in the Canary Islands, Pablo Casado, presented a new project following a study that guarantees its economic, technical and environmental viability, based on Gorona del Viento's operating data for the last 8 years. Both were accompanied by Endesa's Manager of Generation in the Canary Islands, Saúl Barrio, and the Island Delegate and the company's Head of Generation in El Hierro, Juan Luis Padrón.
This new project is still in the initial phase, and if it is successfully completed it would represent the addition of solar energy to the combination of wind and hydraulic energy already in operation at the El Hierro Hydro-Wind Power Plant. In a first phase of implementation it could guarantee 5 MW in the photovoltaic plant, as well as a further 5 MW from the group of batteries. This would enable El Hierro to go from producing 50 percent of clean energy to 80 percent, making it a world benchmark for renewable energies and self-sufficiency.
Alpidio Armas assures us that it is an "exciting project, similar to the one undertaken on the island for the construction of the hydro-wind power plant, viable both economically, technically and environmentally as it will be installed on land owned by the Cabildo de El Hierro which is not productive at the moment, and with parallel use for agricultural and livestock activity. "
In this regard, this new project could become the first agrovoltaic plant in the Canary Islands, similar to others already installed by Endesa in some parts of the mainland, such as the Carmona solar plant in Seville, for example. It is estimated that the implementation of the first phase would involve an investment between €10 and 15 million.
"El Hierro will once again be at the forefront of the objectives set by the 2030 Agenda, UNESCO itself and all the international entities fighting against global warming," said Mr Armas.
According to the Chairman of Gorona del Viento, the land chosen a priori (80,000 square metres are needed for the first phase of execution) would have the possibility of this use in accordance with the Island Management Plan, so he hopes the different stages can be successfully completed and the corresponding authorisation for its construction granted. The Gorona del Viento photovoltaic plant could well be a reality within two years.
Alpidio Armas thanked Endesa, as Gorona del Viento's technological partner, for its willingness to develop this new renewable energy project for the island of El Hierro. The company that manages the hydro-wind power plant and Endesa are already negotiating the conditions to create a new parallel company, responsible for the commissioning of this photovoltaic solar plant of which Gorona would be the majority shareholder, according to Pablo Casado.
The Endesa's General Manager in the Canary Islands, Pablo Casado, reiterated the viability of this initiative whereby, only with the implementation of the first phase of this photovoltaic solar plant, El Hierro would be able to guarantee an average annual penetration of renewables on the island of 80%, which he described as a real milestone. For Endesa, it would be the first agrovoltaic project in the Canary Islands and would represent a further commitment to the environmental values of this island", added Endesa's General Manager in the Canary Islands. This project would be developed through Enel Green Power, Endesa's renewables subsidiary.
Alpidio Armas also recalled that the island of El Hierro has set itself the objective of energy self-sufficiency exclusively with renewable energies, for which the first great achievement was the start-up in 2015 of the El Hierro Hydro-Wind Power Plant through the Gorona del Viento society, with the participation of the Cabildo de El Hierro (65.82%), Endesa (23.21%), the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (7.74%) and the Regional Government of the Canary Islands (3.23%).
The incorporation of solar energy into the renewable energy mix will constitute a real advance for the island's energy self-sufficiency by reducing both the use of fossil fuels and external dependence, explained Sr Armas and Casado.
Coexistence with agriculture
The 5-megawatt solar panels and a storage battery for a further 5 megawatts would be located in the municipality of Frontera, constituting a decarbonisation of electricity amounting to 80 percent. There will be 12,000 solar panels divided into 10 independent modules, each equipped with a transformer, batteries and common areas for auxiliary services. The new plant would coexist with the traditional agricultural and livestock activities in the area.
In a second phase, it is expected to increase this plant with a further 7 MW and a storage system with a second 5 MW battery which would then achieve 100% decarbonisation.
In a third phase, it is intended to absorb the increase in demand that the use of electric vehicles will entail in order to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels in road transport, incorporating the production and storage of hydrogen for electricity generation and adding an additional 30% to the previous 100% with regard to current demand for electricity. Phases one and two will be joined by a 2 MW electrolyser, an 800 cubic metre hydrogen storage system and a 6 MW PEM fuel cell.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X, it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy usage in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. A new business line has also been created, Endesa X Way, fully dedicated to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución, and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.