Energy producer Statkraft will build an innovative energy storage project at its Talayuela II solar PV plant in Talayuela (Cáceres). The system will have lithium-ion batteries that will store up to 21.6 megawatts of power when it starts operating in mid-2025. With a discharge capacity of two hours, it will allow the energy produced by the plant to be managed more efficiently, and will contribute to a secure, guaranteed supply.

The Norwegian company will invest 14.5 million euros in developing, installing and commissioning its first energy storage facility in Spain. The Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), part of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, will provide 2.5 million euros of this amount in aid, as part of the first call for aid for innovative hybrid energy storage projects with renewable energy generation facilities.

Peak production
The storage capacity accounts for 40% of the 55 megawatts peak of installed capacity at Talayuela II, where the new system will be hybridised. Batteries will allow energy to be managed during peak production, when the grid is saturated.

This type of storage system stores surplus energy so that it can be supplied when production fails to meet demand. This ensures stability of supply and reduces price volatility in the electricity market.

Security of supply
Statkraft's General Manager for Spain and Portugal, José Miguel Ferrer, considers that the support from IDAE “ratifies the successful strategy we are following to accelerate the energy transition in Spain. We are convinced that renewables are the solution to tackle the climate crisis and the volatility of energy prices, but this deployment must be accompanied by storage solutions that guarantee security of supply and the economic viability of renewable installations.”

Statkraft argues that energy storage is essential to achieve a 100% renewable energy mix. In Spain, it plans to develop hybrid solutions through its renewable projects, aware of the value of Spain's solar and wind resources and with the aim of improving the flexibility of the electricity system and guaranteeing a reliable and affordable energy supply.

^{Photo: Statkraft}