Innovation Report

Floating Photovoltaic plants

Historically, photovoltaic installations have been placed in places where the weather was conducive to a good number of hours of sunshine per year and always on the ground or roofs. Floating photovoltaic plants allow the use of other important resources: marshes and reservoirs. Along these lines, we are implementing a 2MW floating photovoltaic power plant at the Cortes-La Muela hydro complex, the largest pumped-storage hydro plant in Europe. The plant will include an innovative mooring system anchored to the shore of the reservoir, capable of being scalable to hydraulic reservoirs with relevant water level fluctuations in windy and unprotected locations, meeting the highest safety requirements. It will also include a new floating, structural monitoring system.

Agrovoltaism

At Iberdrola -through the International start-up Programme - PERSEO- we are validating the application of different technological solutions to make photovoltaic solar generation compatible with activities related to agriculture, horticulture, livestock, fish farming or beekeeping, so as to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the facilities, use of the land as well as to protect biodiversity. This is known as agrovoltaic energy. Harnessing solar energy in agricultural areas also encourages photovoltaic self-consumption, since the farms' energy needs can easily be met with the electricity generated.

At Iberdrola we are leaders in energy storage through pumped hydro-electric technology, with an installed capacity of 4.5 GW, currently the most efficient and mature system for storing energy on a large scale. Along these lines, we are immersed in the development of new technological approaches in the pumping systems of the Torrejón and Valdecañas reservoirs, increasing their flexibility, storage capacity and efficiency, without modifying the structural conditions of both hydroelectric plants. On the one hand, at the Torrejón reservoir, a variable speed turbine and new electronic power units are being designed, which represents a substantial technological leap, as most turbines have a fixed speed. On the other hand, the electromechanics of the new Valdecañas turbine will be optimised in order to hybridise it with a parallel battery system, acting mainly on the drivers, which are a key element for flexible operation.

In Portugal, we have commissioned the Tâmega gigabattery, one of the largest hydroelectric projects carried out in Europe in the last 25 years. It consists of three dams and three power plants (Gouvães, Daivões and Alto Tâmega) with a combined capacity of 1,158 MW.

Due to its pumping capacity, it can store energy to be used when it is most needed. It already provides almost 900 MW of pumping capacity to the Portuguese electricity system, which will mean an increase of more than 30% over the country's current pumping megawatts. The complex will be capable of producing 1,766 GWh per year and storing 40 million kWh, equivalent to the energy consumed by 11 million people during 24 hours in their homes, making it one of the largest energy storage systems in Europe.

Linked to the gigabattery, two wind farms will be built to convert the complex into a hybrid generation plant, whose final power is estimated to reach 300 MW, making it one of the largest wind projects in Portugal.

Large Digital Projects

Iberdrola is leading a tractor project in Artificial Intelligence with the main objective of investigating the solutions that different AI technologies can provide to the energy sector, thinking about the new paradigm of the electricity system and covering the 3 main vectors of the sector's value chain: Smart Sustainable Production, Smart Grid and Smart Consumption.

We have designed and developed a new energy resource prediction model that allows us to increase the degree of accuracy in predicting the renewable resource and the power of renewable energy generation facilities. It is an integrated system based on state-of-the-art weather forecasting techniques, as well as Machine Learning, AI and Big Data technologies.

PoCs

In a changing world, we are committed to carrying out disruptive proofs of concept, using emerging and differentiating technologies such as: IoT in the LoRA solution that provides additional monitoring capabilities on existing wind turbines, Deep Learning for the identification of defects in network assets by taking images in the Edge allowing to automate the recognition of faults and vegetation surrounding the power lines and the implementation of an interactive 3D model of an electricity substation in Virtual Reality with dynamic operation for the optimisation of the planning of the necessary interventions.

Smart Mobility

We have a sustainable mobility plan, with an investment of €150 million, which will intensify the deployment of charging points for electric vehicles in the coming years. The initiative entails installing around 150,000 charging points in homes, companies and on the public road network in cities, as well as on the main motorways and roads. In addition, our public charging App will allow you to check the public charging infrastructure available in Spain, with more than 5,000 chargers for electric vehicles, both our own and third-party chargers.

Heavy transport

We have reached various public-private agreements regarding the electrification of heavy transport.

Thus, we collaborate with the Madrid's Municipal Transport Company (EMT) in the electrification of the city's bus network, in the analysis of alternatives for electricity supply to EMT facilities, as well as in the planning of the present and future charging infrastructure network for electric transport.

In addition, we are working together with Irizar to add actions aimed at technological innovation in this field. The alliance starts with our renewable supply with Guarantees of Origin (GdOs) in Irizar's factories, in order to contribute to the decarbonisation of the life cycle of its buses.

We are also leading a project to develop the first Mediterranean Corridor for 100% electric heavy road transport. For this, we will work together with the transport and logistics company Disfrimur and the company specialising in power electronics, Ingeteam.

Micromobility

The electrification of transport in urban areas also involves the promotion of Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) such as bicycles, scooters and electric motorbikes.

To this end, we are working on the implementation of smart charging stations, each capable of holding 20 chargers and multi-brand motorbike batteries. These smart charging stations will be automated for 24/7, ensuring continuous improvement of the service by harnessing the possibilities of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

In addition, we are validating a new electric vehicle parking facility capable of accommodating bicycles and scooters and featuring an innovative solar pavement. This guarantees the renewable origin of the energy used in the storage and charging stations for personal mobility vehicles (PMVs).

Ports

Iberdrola has promoted, together with more than 20 companies and organisations, with the support of Puertos del Estado, the 'Alianza Net-Zero MAR', a non-profit collaborative platform that aims to "accelerate" the decarbonisation and electrification of the maritime sector in Spain.

In addition, we offer port decarbonisation solutions that include on-site renewable generation and deployment of OPS (Onshore Power Supply) technology, among others.

Electrification of industry

At Iberdrola we are committed to being at the side of industries in their energy transition through ad hoc solutions that drive the decarbonisation of industrial processes through design automation and the integration of clean technologies and energy efficiency measures. These include the high-temperature heat pump, which is capable of converting waste heat into steam of up to 200 degrees.

We are also part of the Basque Net Zero Industrial Super Cluster initiative promoted by the World Economic Forum, which aims to highlight the achievements of industrial clusters in the transition to net zero emissions and, in this way, to motivate and offer experiences and good practices to other clusters so that they adopt commitments in this transition.

Energy Efficiency in Buildings

We are committed to the refurbishment and energy efficiency of buildings, providing solutions for energy saving and decarbonisation of dwellings, both single-family homes and buildings. The proposal consists of a final turnkey product that brings together different solutions: efficient electric air conditioning with heat pumps, actions on the thermal insulation of the home (façades, roofs, windows), energy supply and optimal maintenance of equipment. In this way, this guarantees simplicity, quality and cost containment to the customer.

Heat Networks

We also promote the creation of heat networks to supply waste heat energy from renewable energy installations to buildings and homes. For this purpose, we have created IR Redes de Calor y Frío S.L. together with the company REBI Recursos de la Biomasa S. L. Through the heat network, an exchange of thermal energy can be achieved between those producers with excess thermal energy and those who demand it, thus maximising energy efficiency values. Among the initiatives planned is the implementation of a 28-kilometre heat distribution network to supply heating and hot water throughout the urban area of Puertollano. The heat will come from our green hydrogen production plant at the site.

Puertollano Plant

Iberdrola has inaugurated the largest green hydrogen plant for industrial use in Europe; the hydrogen produced will be used in the Fertiberia Group's ammonia factory in Puertollano. The electrolyser is capable of producing 3,000 tons of renewable H2 per year. This pioneering plant will generate 100% green hydrogen with zero CO2 emissions thanks to the use of energy from the 100 MW solar photovoltaic plant directly connected to the electrolyser, being our first installation in Spain with bifacial panels and a lithium-ion battery storage system with a 20 MWh capacity. This is a circular project as in the future, the waste heat could be used to provide hot water and residential heating for the town of Puertollano.

Hydrogen plant in Barcelona

In less than a year we have put into service a green hydrogen energy plant in the Free Zone of Barcelona to supply this clean energy to the TMB buses with a capacity of 2.5 MW. The installation allows the supply of fuel to other fleets of heavy vehicles in the industrial park that adopt this vector as an energy solution, generating a tractor effect around this technology and promoting the creation of a green hub of H2 in one of the main industrial areas of the country.