ALTEN Energías Renovables opens new photovoltaic plant in Spain, in El Casar (Alcarria)

  • With a land area of 28.35 has. it has an array of 34,713 PV modules, each with a capacity of 375W.
  • It uses 479 solar trackers that follow the sun’s East-West trajectory, thereby increasing the plant’s production by 20%.
  • 108 string inverters improve efficiency and make installation and subsequent maintenance easier, making it one of the pioneers in the use of this technology in Spain.
  • EUR 8 million has been invested in construction and commissioning the facilities.
  • Over 40 local firms have been involved in building the plant, which has provided employment to over 300 people.
  • By operating the plant, 11,873 Tns of carbon emissions, equivalent to 7,000 vehicles out of circulation, will be avoided.
  • Its production is equivalent to the average annual energy consumption of 7,300 homes.
  • The commissioning of this new plant is proof of ALTEN Energías Renovables’ interest in developing new PV projects in Spain.

Madrid, 9th October, 2019.- ALTEN Energías Renovables has today opened its new 13 MWp solar photovoltaic plant ALTEN El Casar in the municipality of El Casar, specifically on the Nava, La Hoyuela and La Cruz del Contadero plots, to the north of the national highway N-320, leading to the town of El Casar, and near the Valdelosllanos housing development.

The President of the Castile La Mancha regional government, Emiliano García-Page Sánchez, attended the opening ceremony, accompanied by the Minister of Employment, Migrations & Social Security, Magdalena Valerio and the Mayor of El Casar, Mª José Valle, among other authorities.

The new PV solar plant covers a land area of 283,411 square metres (28.35 has), divided into 10 plots with excellent solar resources. Construction was managed by the Ortiz Group, which completed the works in a record time of 6 months, including the pre-preparation of the land, installation of the panels and solar trackers and the electricity network for the energy produced.

The facilities consist of 34,713 photovoltaic modules, each with capacity of 375W and 108 photovoltaic inverters, spread over 4 fields, each with a 3 MW transformation centre; these evacuate into the 132/20 kV Galápagos sub-station, run by the distributor Iberdrola, located nearby.

479 solar trackers that turn their panels from east to west, following the sun’s trajectory, have been used. This tracking technology increases the plant’s production by 20% over traditional fixed installations.

The plant components have been selected using the latest technology available on the market. The monocrystalline photovoltaic module installed, which is highly efficient, and the string inverters, which are more modular than those generally used, improve the plant’s efficiency and make installation and subsequent maintenance easier, with this plant being one of the pioneers in its use of this technology in Spain.

Over 40 local firms have been involved in building the plant, which has provided employment to more than 300 people. The new facility, in which around EUR 8 million has been invested, will mean 11,873 tonnes of carbon emissions into the atmosphere will be avoided every year, equivalent to taking 7,000 vehicles off the roads. It will produce 25.595 MWh a year, the same as the annual average consumption of 7,300 homes.

The commissioning of this new plant, operated and maintained by ALTEN El Casar, reaffirms ALTEN Energías Renovables’ interest in developing new photovoltaic projects in Spain. This country is the home of the firm’s back office, serving all its other offices in different areas of Africa, Europe and Latin America.

 

About ALTEN

ALTEN Energías Renovables is an Independent Power Producer (IPP) specialising in solar photovoltaic energy, with offices in Spain, the Netherlands, Kenya, Nigeria, Mexico and Namibia. It has great expertise in the development, financing, construction and operation of PV power plants in challenging environments. The company has a 350 MWp photovoltaic 350 MWp solar plant in Mexico in operation, awarded in that country’s second electricity tender in 2016. In 2019 the company has put another 45.5MWp plant into operation in Namibia. It is on the point of completing the financing of a 52 MWp plant in Kenya. A 120 MWp project is at development stage in Nigeria through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NBET (Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader). Additionally, ALTEN has a pipeline of more than 1 GW at various stages of development in Africa, Mexico and Europe.