Top Spanish Renewable Energy Firms bolster ties with California During Visit Last Week

To help California meet surging demand for renewable energy, Spain’s leading firms visited California this last week, meeting with major utilities, economic development officials, legislators, regulators, private firms, the Lt. Governor, and members of the Governor’s staff regarding investment in renewable energy growth. Due to sophisticated advances in energy regulation and technologies in Spain, these firms offer vast experience, state-of-the art technology, and financial resources to help California meet its Renewable Portfolio Standard and AB 32 goals.

“Spanish firms have developed and constructed some of the largest solar plants in the world over the last 20 years,” commented Pedro Bugallal, deputy director of international trade for CEOE (Spanish Confederation of Employers and Industry), the largest trade association in Spain. “California shows the greatest potential for growth in renewable energy, and our firms have invested billions in other US states this year. This mission will show how California can benefit from the significant investments and expertise our firms can bring to renewable energy production.”

Spanish companies have committed more than $5 billion in the US market this year alone. The delegation identified new investments, joint ventures and technology transfer opportunities in solar, desalination, water, wind and related renewable energy sectors.

“With California squeezed between energy demand, environmental mandates, and fallout from the financial crisis, there couldn’t be a better time for these firms to visit. California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and AB 32 Global Warming Solutions Act  create specific mandates for renewable energy supply and greenhouse gas reductions at a time when funding is challenging. The fact that these firms have the expertise and financing to develop large renewable energy projects is good news for the state and for the economy,” said Michael Liikala, president of Solutions International, the consulting firm which helped organize the mission.

Spanish firms in the delegation, led by Solutions International and CEOE from October 6-10, included the world’s largest developer of wind farms and operator of one of the largest active US solar projects, Acciona Energia. Abengoa Solar, planning to build a $1 billion solar plant in Arizona called Solana, also participated. Other firms in the mission were Siliken–which recently opened a photovoltaic panel production plant in San Diego–as well as Dragados/Cobra (ACS Group), TSK, Elecnor, Prointec, and Union Fenosa.

The world´s largest PV solar plant open in Southern Spain

With an installed peak power of 23 MW (updated), the solar park at Jumilla, Murcia (Southeastern Spain) is the world’s current highest capacity PV plant and the most efficient to-date.

It took a team of 400 people 11 months to build the Jumilla plant, where 120,000 solar panels are grouped into 200 separate photovoltaic arrays -owned by different investors- to convert light from the sun into electricity. It’s expected to generate an estimated annual income of $28 million (€19 million) and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 42,000 tons a year.

The plant covers an area of 100 hectares in La Hoya de Vicentes, Jumilla, (see picture) where the local Mayor says 300 days of sun a year are guaranteed. Its total annual production will be the equivalent of the energy used by 20,000 homes.

The project developer was Luzentia Group. Luzentia awarded the construction of the park to Elecnor, a company with a solid background in engineering and the solar industry. The solar arm of Elecnor, Atersa, worked as the systems integrator, with solar panels coming from different firms, due to the size of the project. Besides Atersa, the other providers were Solon, Yingli, Suntech and Ningbo.

Powerlight (Sunpower Corp.) provides its patented single-axis solar trackers to improve the system´s performance.

Different measures were taken following the recommendations from a local association, Juncellus, to ensure high environmental criteria in the construction of the plant. They included replanting an area of almost 5.4 thousand square yards around the plant, water deposits for fires, drinking troughs for birds and other such details.

According to the figures given by the Spanish Minister of Industry at its inauguration earlier this month, renewable energy currently accounts for around 7% of the total primary energy produced in the country, and will reach 10% in 2010 if biomass production is added onto the energy produced by solar and wind farms. Spain will be able to reach the European Union’s target of a 20% share by 2020, he said.

Spain approves the installation of offshore wind parks

From WT7 closeup (Arklow Bank, Ireland)
Originally uploaded by rodonnelly

The Government of Spain approved on August 1st legislation that will allow offshore wind parks to be built off its coast. It is predicted that the offshore wind parks will generate between 2,000 and 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity by 2020.

“Spain is a peninsula with sea on three sides and so is one of the best places in the world for building wind farms at sea,” Carlos Montana from the Spanish Ministry of Industry told RenewableEnergyAccess.com, one of the sources of the story.

Experimental offshore wind farm projects have already been built on the sea-bed in sites around Cadiz, Huelva, Castellon and in the Ebro Delta. While more expensive than land-based wind farms, offshore wind parks can take advantage of stronger, steadier coastal breezes. On the other hand, they suffer from logistical problems and corrosion.

According to the Spanish diary El Pais, currently there are no wind turbines specifically adapted to a marine environment. An ideal turbine for an offshore wind farm would be in the 5MW range, and the infrastructures to install such monsters is not yet in place.

Spain has some 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) of coastline which draw millions of sunseekers each year, helping to make it the world’s second most visited nation after France. Concerns about the impact of off shore wind parks on Spain‘s tourist industry have been one reason why, until now, the construction of wind turbines has been restricted to the country’s mainland.

To allay these concerns the government said offshore wind farm projects will need clearance from the environment ministry.

The government will also identify through a study the best places where the wind parks, required to have a minimum size of at least 50 megawatts, can be set up. Interested firms will then be allowed to reserve the area, provided they demonstrate that the wind turbines do damage the environment. The study is due to be completed by July 1st, 2008. Some companies like Acciona Energy or Endesa/Elecnor already have advanced plans for the area around Cape Trafalgar (the site of the famous naval battle) in the Atlantic ocean off the coast of Cadiz.

The Netherlands opened its first major offshore wind farm earlier this year and several similar projects are in the works for Britain, Germany and the United States. The UK is the country that has advanced the furthest in this field, with 877 MW installed last year.