The results of Spain’s auction this week for 3GW of renewables capacity have been widely welcomed by the country’s solar sector, but calls have been made to tweak future auctions to support smaller-scale projects as well as encourage the participation of bids with energy storage.
Rising domestic demand for solar helped Spain reach 596MW of new self-consumption PV installations last year, according to data from trade association UNEF.
Solar PV bidders secured two-thirds of allocated capacity in the first of Spain’s new renewable energy auctions, which was held yesterday (26 January) and was more than three times oversubscribed.
The rapid scale-up of solar capacity in the European Union drove the growth of renewable electricity generation, which overtook that of fossil fuels for the first time last year.
Iberdrola has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to sell electricity from what is claims will be Europe’s largest PV plant to French food group Danone.
European Union funding has been secured for a floating solar pilot project in Spain to explore how the technology performs in challenging sea conditions.
Solar is now cheapest form of new electricity in a host of international markets, driven by cost reductions and growth of bifaciality, large-area solar modules and trackers.
Lightsource BP has announced its largest European acquisition to date, purchasing a 1,060MW solar project portfolio in Spain from developer RIC Energy.
PV developer Solaria has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Shell Energy Europe for six solar plants in Spain that have a combined capacity of 300MW.
