Escepar: Located in the municipalities of Villalba del Rey and Tinajas (Cuenca), the new 29.4MW photovoltaic facility joins an existing 36MW wind complex

ACCIONA Energía has completed its first hybrid renewable energy plant with the construction of a 29.4MW photovoltaic plant on the site of the existing Escepar wind farm (36MW), located in the municipalities of Villalba del Rey and Tinajas (Cuenca).

The Escepar solar plant is made up of by 54,208 photovoltaic modules, and will generate 48,170MWh of clean electricity per year, an amount equivalent to the consumption of 13,800 homes.  This capacity will be added to the 57,500MWh/year that is already produced by the Escepar wind farm. Together, the two facilities that make up the hybrid plant will generate enough electricity to supply more than 30,000 homes and avoid the emission of more than 46,000 tons of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to planting two and a half million trees or taking more than 17,750 cars off the road.

The addition of the photovoltaic plant at Escepar has created up to 130 jobs during its construction peak. In addition, the project includes a Social Impact Management program that ACCIONA Energía implements in all its facilities, with the aim of generating a positive impact on the communities in which it operates through reinvesting a portion of its annual income in the local area.

In the specific case of Villalba del Rey, ACCIONA Energía is running a program to revitalize the Santos Sebastián e Isidro oil cooperative, one of the main economic engines of the municipality, by financing different activities to boost its performance. Meanwhile, in Tinajas, the company has arranged different activities at the Pensioners’ Association and is funding improvements to its facilities.   

Escepar is the company's first ‘hybridization’, a formula whereby two or more renewable technologies use the same connection point, optimizing the use of the grid. The combination of two different technologies that can be alternated, such as wind and solar, reduces the dependence on weather conditions and allow for a more constant and stable renewable energy production. In addition, as these technologies share infrastructures, there is no need to build new power lines, substations, facilities, and roads, reducing the environmental impact that two independent projects would have.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: ACCIONA Energy