German engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company Baywa r.e. has begun building a 135MW/53MW co-located wind and solar PV project in Zaragoza, Spain.
The project comprises a cluster of three wind farms and two solar PV projects of 30MW and 23MW capacity. The five plants will generate around 475GWh annually and represent over €280 million (US$305 million) in investment. They are expected online by the end of 2025, by which point Baywa r.e. plans to sign an offtake agreement for their power capacity.
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Notably, the different technologies will share grid infrastructure, which Baywa r.e. said was “one of the first of its kind to be developed in Spain” as well as reducing grid infrastructure costs. As such, the projects will be built on the same area of land – in the municipalities of Épila, Lumpiaque and Rueda de Jalón – which Baywa r.e. said would optimise development and execution expenses.
Daniel Gäfke, global director of projects and executive board member at BayWa r.e., said: “[This project] sets a precedent for us in Spain, as it is unique in terms of project size and the innovative structure of combined wind and solar energy generation.”
Alexander Rothenanger, global director of IPP at BayWa r.e. added: “We are excited to further expand our IPP business with Rueda Sur, making good progress towards achieving around 2GW in 2024 – and even more in the future. Combining different technologies and energy sources for projects such as this one is always a complex but important challenge, while also providing true added value for our diverse portfolio.”
Baywa r.e. said that the project has received its environmental permit, and that they would undertake actions to preserve and increase biodiversity in the area around the site.
The company spoke with this publication in January this year about the state of operations and maintenance (O&M) within the solar project development process. Chris Stacy, director of business development at BayWa r.e. in the US said that O&M was in a “stagnant space” when it came to methods and innovation.
PV Tech’s coverage of the Energy Storage Summit 2024 in London last month saw panelists discussing the business case for co-located solar and energy storage projects, which is still in its early stages.