The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has selected 544 innovative renewable energy projects for the generation of electrical energy and the production of thermal energy in 13 autonomous communities, which will receive public aid worth 177 million euros and will channel a total investment, including private investment, of some 560 million.
After the publication of the definitive resolutions of the Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy (IDAE), regarding the Lines of aid for thermal and electrical renewable investment, these projects will receive financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), aimed at strengthening economic and social cohesion in the European Union and correcting its imbalances.
These new installations of renewable sources will contribute to reducing the emission of polluting gases and energy dependence, while will consolidate activity and employment in the economic sectors in which they are established and will stimulate the development of new technologies and business models.
The aid program has been articulated through 27 calls addressed to the autonomous communities, which have participated in its design and in the evaluation of the projects. The IDAE, as the investigating body, has been publishing the provisional resolutions, attending to the allegations and the analysis of the projects to, finally, publish the definitive resolutions, which can be consulted, broken down by autonomous communities, and by thermal or electrical energy.
Photovoltaic: Boosting self-consumption
In the call for renewable electricity, 378 projects have been selected which, with a capacity of 257 MW, will receive aid for an amount close to 70 million. The implementation of these projects represents a total investment of around 275 million.
Most of the projects, close to 90%, correspond to photovoltaic energy installations. Its use for self-consumption in public buildings and local administrations stands out, representing more than 22% of the performances. These include developments to supply the health services of Castile-La Mancha and Galicia, as well as public schools in Murcia or the University of Vigo.
Photovoltaic projects have also been selected in livestock and agricultural farms in Castile and Leon, where 62 initiatives are counted, which will serve both irrigated crops, in the province of Valladolid, and pig, vaccine and poultry farms in the rest of the community.
Wind power
As for wind power, Aid has been awarded to 13 projects to supply the consumption of companies or public centers, such as universities or educational centers in the Region of Murcia or Galicia. This solution is also proposed for recharging electric vehicles in a group of technology companies in the province of Zaragoza.
In the province of Sevilla A wind facility will be developed for the production of renewable hydrogen, which, with a wind power of 18.8 MW and 5 MW of electrolysis, will produce hydrogen with various applications, among which is the supply to nearby local industries in the municipal area of Lebrija.
In the province of Badajoz another project stands out for the production of green hydrogen, which will be used to transform an old biodiesel plant, in Valdetorres, into one for the production of synthetic fuels. This is a unique and innovative project that has a photovoltaic capacity of 4.5 MW and 1.25 MW of electrolysis, and whose main attraction lies in the fact that the hydrogen necessary to generate these fuels will be produced by electrolysis from a photovoltaic installation. In addition, the surplus energy will be used to cover the electrical consumption of the plant.
In other regions like Catalonia, Galicia, Cantabria and the Region of Murcia Actions for the generation of biogas from livestock waste have been awarded for subsequent energy use. In the province of Girona, the initiative stands outiIt is designed by a farm in the municipality of Vilademuls that will feed the energy consumption of a treatment plant and a food industry, while contemplating the participation of the local population in order to promote shared, green and local self-consumption.
Thermal energy
In the call for renewable thermal installations, they have selected 166 projects that, with a capacity of 713 MW, will receive aid for an amount of more than 108 million. The implementation of these projects represents a total investment of around 285 million.
Solar thermal technology predominates in this call and is found in 32% of the awarded projects. Among them, its use stands out to attend industrial processes, such as in a beer factory in Seville, which will have 30 MW; or in artisan cheese factories in the provinces of Cuenca and Toledo. Salamanca City Council will develop an installation of solar collectors with monitoring to meet the thermal demands of a library, a fire station and the local police station.
Another outstanding technology, 26% of the projects, is biomass. The replacement of boilers that use this fuel has been relevant in industries of the oil sector in Andalusia or the beer sector in Galicia. Likewise, the biomass will also serve to feed heating and/or cooling networks in public and residential buildings in cities such as León, Burgos, Cuenca, Guadalajara or smaller municipalities such as Palau-solità i Plegamans, Torrefarrera and Sant Pere de Torello, in Catalonia.
biogas production
On the other hand, selected 28 actions related to the production of biogas from livestock or agricultural waste that will obtain biomethane both for injection into the distribution network and for vehicle use. These projects are proposed in Catalonia, Andalusia, Aragon, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Galicia, the Community of Madrid and the Valencian Community.
In addition, the development of geothermal plants stands out, such as the air conditioning of intensive cultivation greenhouses in Níjar, Almería, or in a flower nursery in the province of Pontevedra. This technology will also serve for the air conditioning of residential buildings, in the communities of Aragon, Catalonia, Madrid and Castilla y León.
Finally, aerothermal projects with photovoltaic supply have also been selected to meet the air conditioning and/or refrigeration needs in nursing homes, hotel complexes or the heating of swimming pools in cities such as Murcia, Logroño, Huesca, Córdoba and Cádiz.
In line with IDAE’s commitment to innovation in the energy transition, In these calls, the use of innovative technologies and applications has been prioritized that contribute to the decarbonization of different sectors. In addition to the innovative nature, the calls have included other evaluation criteria such as the social and economic cohesion of the territory through the generation of employment, rural development or the fight against depopulation.
The development of these projects is part of the objective of pPromote renewable facilities that contribute to the diversification of primary energy sources, to the reduction of energy dependence and CO2 emissions. In turn, it is one of the objectives of the current National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) 2021-2030, which recognizes the potential of these facilities to contribute to the objective of reaching 42% of renewables on the final use of energy. in 2030 and the decarbonisation of the economy in 2050.
In addition, within the framework of the current Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, promoted by the Government for the mobilization of European funds Next Generation, the integration of renewable energies in productive sectors, as well as the promotion of innovative renewable energies, are two of the priorities that are included in component 7.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.