Extremadura installs almost as much photovoltaic power in twelve months as in its entire history. The information was made public by the Minister for the Ecological Transition and Sustainability of the Junta de Extremadura, Olga García, during a press conference in Mérida. According to García, thirteen new photovoltaic (PV) installations entered service in the region in 2019. In total, 511 megawatts of new PV solar power, which adds up to the 564 that the community had at the end of 2018. PV power accumulated during the last 12 years in Extremadura, it has grown like this, in just 12 months, by more than 90%.
We can affirm that, without a doubt, 2019 has been the year of the take-off of photovoltaic solar energy in our region. This is good news for renewable energy and for the Extremadura economy. The numbers reflect that expectations are already a reality.
Thirteen new installations, totaling 511 megabytes, and placing 1,075 megawatts of photovoltaic solar power installed in Extremadura on December 31, 2019, "which represents - reports the Regional Government- 12.3% of the national total and 12, 8% of the PV power installed in Spain last year". These are some of the data published by the Extremadura Ministry for the Ecological Transition. In addition to the thirteen above-mentioned parks, the Minister said, Extremadura has another 154 photovoltaic projects (8,287 MW) "with viability to connect to the network." Of these, 102 projects (6,157.89 MW) are "in administrative process." According to García, this means that 74.3% of the power that has viability to connect to the networks (power because it is not in service) is being processed. "This is good news in itself because it tells us about a high degree of materialization of business commitments."
More data
Of the 102 projects in process, ten are "completed, in the commissioning phase, or under construction, with a power of 1,328.9 megawatts; 8 projects, with a total power of 312.71 megawatts, have administrative authorization, pending that its promoters make the decision to carry them out; and 84 projects, with a power of 4,516.27 megawatts, are in the process of being processed to obtain administrative authorizations. " The 1,840 megawatts that add the projects put into service and those that are under construction represent an estimated investment of around 1.2 billion euros.
Solar energy will dominate the growth of renewable capacity in the next ten years in the region and we hope that, between photovoltaic and solar thermal technology, a quarter of what is planned at the national level will be deployed in Extremadura.
The immediate prospects are equally bright, according to the Extremadura government, which sets as an example the next inauguration of what has been presented as the largest PV park in Europe, Núñez de Balboa, 500 MW, located between Usagre and Hinojosa del Valle, to the south from Badajoz. "The forecast is that in 2020 we can increase the photovoltaic solar power put into service in our region by 1,000 new megawatts again," said the Minister, who has assured that her Government is following "a perfectly defined trajectory, which has made us one of the most experienced and agile autonomous communities in the processing of photovoltaic plants ”.
The National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan foresees the installation of 5,000 MW of solar thermal power over the next ten years, so, if the expectations of the Extremadura Executive are confirmed, the region would sign up about 250 of those megawatts.
Source: Energías Renovables
