Iberdrola switched on Spain’s first multi-megawatt battery to support rural community

Iberdrola, a multinational electric utility company, based in Bilbao, has switched on Spain’s first multi-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS). The system is located in rural Spain, and it will provide power to local networks for five hours in case of an outage. A 3MWh battery energy storage system was deployed by Iberdrola in the municipal district of Caravaca de la Cruz. The new system will improve reliability and power quality in the local areas, and also it will aid the integration of solar photovoltaic (PV) resources. Along with improving the productivity and quality of local power, the company stated that the grid could function in isolation.

When there is a power outage during natural disasters, the grid can provide electricity for five hours. Iberdrola stated that this project contains a smart controller for the battery to adjust the voltage of output, and it can also be used to interact with nearby PV plants. During the events of power failure, it can identify which part of the network can be used to run from a battery. The renewables market of Spain is opening backups for energy storage development, and a few years back, it was technically illegal to use solar power without exporting to the grid. The new project wants to bring a reliable grid power for rural districts because it was a long-standing problem in Spain.