Spanish independent power producer (IPP) Zelestra has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with technology giant Microsoft to sell power generated at a 95.7MW solar PV portfolio.
The portfolio consists of two projects currently under construction in the Zaragoza, Aragón, region of Spain: Escatrón II and Fuendetodos II. Zelestra expects to begin commercial operation at both projects by the end of 2026.
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Under the terms of the PPA, Aragón-based non-profit ECODES (Fundación Ecología y Desarrollo) will receive funding to “implement direct impact programmes” in the area, including expanding access to sustianable infrastructure and healthy environments. However, the companies did not specify how much funding the organisation would receive, or where this would come from.
“This progressive collaboration with ECODES and Microsoft aligns perfectly with our commitment to deliver meaningful, positive impact in the communities where we operate,” said Zelestra chief stakeholder and sustainability officer Scarlett Alvarez Uzcategiu.
“We will be present in Aragón for the long-term, managing our projects to support Microsoft’s clean energy needs, and we are certain that the benefits of this initiative will also have a lasting positive impact for communities nearby.”
The news follows Zeletra’s signing of a PPA with Portuguese utility EDP over the summer, marking the first such deal to include solar and battery storage technology in the country.
Zelestra supplies inverters for Peru’s largest solar project
In other Zelestra news, Chinese solar PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow has announced that it supplied inverters for the company’s San Martín solar project, the largest in Peru.
The project has a capacity of 273MW and began commercial operation in June this year. Sungrow provided its 1+X Modular Inverters to the project, which have a rated power output as high as 8.8MW and a nominal AC voltage of 630v. Sungrow noted that the inverters can be deployed in units as small as 1.1MW, and have been installed alongside bifacial modules and single-axis trackers at the project.
The news follows positive test results for the company’s 1+X 2.0 Modular Inverter, the next generation of the technology. Last week, German testing house TÜV Rheinland completed safety testing for the inverter, finding that the combiner box can detect faults and disconnect from the system within 32 milliseconds, significantly reducing the risk of starting and spreading fires. Similarly, the inverter can disconnect from short-circuit faults in 1.472 milliseconds, compared to 526 milliseconds for what Sungrow described as “traditional fuse solutions”.
The Peruvian government aims to add 2.5GW of new solar capacity by 2028, and the start of operations at the San Martín project is a key milestone towards this goal.
