Latest
Features , Editors’ Blog , Long Reads
EDP will buy the power produced at the site, though the companies did not clarify the length of the deal. Image: Zelestra.
Spanish energy firm Zelestra and Portuguese utility EDP have signed what they call the “first” solar-plus-storage power purchase agreement (PPA) in the Spanish renewables market.
Zelestra will build the 170MWp/400MWh solar-plus-storage project in Trujillo, in Extremadura, with construction expected to begin in the “second half” of 2025.
This article requires Premium Subscription Basic (FREE) Subscription
Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis
Photovoltaics International is now included.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual
Or continue reading this article for free
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EDP will buy the power produced at the site, though the companies did not clarify the length of the deal.
Zelestra said the hybrid PPA “is designed to ensure that the battery can always be fully charged daily by the solar plant in all weather conditions, allowing EDP the flexibility to have clean energy outside of “normal solar hours” and at traditionally high-demand, high-price periods of time.”
The company has signed solar-plus-storage PPAs in other markets, with a notable 220MW/1GWh deal in Chile earlier this year.
The Spanish deal comes at a significant moment for the country’s energy sector. The blackout in April, which saw much of Spain and Portugal go without power for hours, triggered an investigation and led to headlines blaming solar and other renewables.
This was proven untrue, and the government put the blackout down to oscillation in the system.
Last month, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) announced measures to strengthen the Spanish electric system and increase its resilience. These included plans to increase Spain’s energy storage capacity and reduce the permitting times for storage, to increase its hybridisation with renewable energy generation technologies.
However, last month the Spanish Congress rejected the proposals in a decision which the Spanish renewables trade association, Asociación de Empresas de Energías Renovables (APPA Renovables), said would increase the risk of negative power prices.
“Without boosting demand or storage, nor making the entry of renewable energy more flexible in the future, the hours at zero and negative prices in the wholesale electricity market will increase – when part of renewable generation is wasted – putting the profitability and continuity of already operational projects at risk,” APPA Renovables said.
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
Read Next
French energy major TotalEnergies has begun the construction of its 1GW solar farm in the Basra region of southern Iraq.
Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has announced it has invested a record AU$4.7 billion (US$3.09 billion) in large-scale renewables, energy storage, and transmission projects during the 12-month period ending 30 June 2025.
KKR has invested AU$500 million in Australia’s CleanPeak Energy to support the rollout of DERs such as rooftop solar PV and battery storage.
A round-up of news from the Indian solar sector this week, including Reliance Industries’ cell plant, Juniper Green Energy powering solar PV and Solex Energy launching new modules.
The US state of New York expects to install 35GW of solar PV and 9.4GW of battery energy storage system (BESS) by 2040.
According to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the global levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for solar PV reached US$0.043/kWh in 2024.
Subscribe to Newsletter
Most Read
Upcoming Events
Media Partners , Solar Media Events
https://www.pv-tech.org/zelestra-edp-sign-first-solar-plus-storage-ppa-in-spain/
