ACCIONA Energía has completed its second hybrid renewable generation facility with the construction of a 19.7MWp photovoltaic plant on the site of the existing Peralejo wind farm (26MW), in the municipalities of Villalba del Rey and Tinajas (Cuenca).
The Peralejo solar plant will generate 37GWh of clean electricity per year, equivalent to the consumption of more than 10,600 homes. This energy will be added to that already produced by the Peralejo wind farm and, together, the two facilities that make up the hybrid plant will generate enough electricity to supply 26,000 homes and avoid the emission of more than 38,000 tons of CO2 per year. This is equivalent to the effect of planting more than two million trees or taking 15,000 cars off the road.
Peralejo is the company's second hybridization, a formula whereby two or more renewable technologies use the same connection point, optimizing grid use. The combination of two different technologies that can be alternated, such as wind and solar, reduces the dependence on weather conditions, achieving a more constant and stable renewable energy production. In addition, the shared use of infrastructures means that it is not necessary to build new power lines, substations, facilities, and accesses, reducing the environmental impact that two separate projects would entail.
The addition of the photovoltaic plant at Peralejo has created over 100 jobs during its construction peak. In addition, the project includes a Social Impact Management program that ACCIONA Energía implements in all its facilities to generate a positive impact in the communities in which it operates. Through this program, the company reinvests a portion of annual revenues to support education, welfare, and environmental care programs.
In the specific case of Villalba del Rey, ACCIONA Energía has carried out a program to revitalize the Santos Sebastián e Isidro olive oil Cooperative, one of the main economic engines of the municipality, and is financing a series of measures to improve its production and efficiency. The company also sponsored the II Children's Indoor Football Tournament, in which some 90 children from surrounding villages took part; it organized various activities at the Tinajas Association of Retired and Pensioners, and it is financing improvements to its facilities.
The hybridisation of Peralejo joins ACCIONA Energía’s first hybrid project Escepar (29.4MWp solar and 36MW wind), and the Bolarque photovoltaic plant (50MWp) that the company already operates in Villalba del Rey and Tinajas, and places these two municipalities at the forefront of renewable energy development in the province.
