Enel Green Power España (EGPE) has completed the construction of the Las Corchas and Los Naranjos photovoltaic plants, located between the towns of Carmona and La Rinconada in Seville.
With an investment of €70 million and built in record time, the two photovoltaic plants will add a combined capacity of 100 MW and will generate 202 GWh a year, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of a town like Carmona.
“The efforts of all the workers and the coordination with the local authorities in Carmona and La Rinconada, who also made it possible for the province of Seville to produce cleaner energy today.”
Luca Capuozzo, EGPE’s head of construction for Las Corchas and Los Naranjos.
Las Corchas and Los Naranjos have around 258,120 bi-facial photovoltaic panels, meaning that solar radiation can be captured on both sides, optimizing their utility. In addition, 14 transformation centers, two electricity substations and 45 kilometers of underground networks have been built to allow them to operate. This complex has today enabled the first megawatt of renewable energy to be generated, which has already reached the Andalusian electricity distribution network.
The renewable energy produced by the two plants will avoid the annual emission of more than 94,000 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
In addition, Enel Green Power is using virtual reality to monitor these plants through smart glasses, allowing supervisors to attend remotely without the need to physically visit the construction area. This technology also incorporates an infrared camera that captures in real time imagines of construction and implementation activities.
The construction of Las Corchas and Los Naranjos, Enel Green Power followed sustainable engineering criteria and applied Enel Green Power’s model of “Sustainable Construction Site”, including the installation of photovoltaic solar panels to cover part of the energy needs during the works, efficient lighting, separation of waste, use of an electric vehicle to reach different parts of the plants, and the supply of several defibrillators to ensure workers’ health. Now that the work has been completed, these measures will be donated to the municipality of Carmona for public use.
The start of construction at these photovoltaic plants marks the completion of one phase, but the beginning of another, as Enel Green Power chose these facilities to develop a pioneering and innovative project – agriculture and apiculture in photovoltaic plants.
This project is based on three hectares of aromatic plants cultivated among the company’s photovoltaic panels in Carmona. This crop will allow the bees located between the panels to carry out their pollinating role, creating sustainable, solar-branded honey.
Enel Green Power and the Municipality of Carmona are interested in partnering with solar beekeepers in the region, as the beekeeping activity is not only a boost for the socio-economic development of the local community, but also a clear example of how to return agricultural use to land. The project is in line with Enel Green Power’s concept of shared value and circular economy that the company is committed to replicate in all its renewable plants.
With an investment of €124 million in the province of Seville, Enel Green Power will provide 172 MW of clean energy through its renewable projects: Las Corchas and Los Naranjos are already operational, another project, Torrepalma, is being approved and received administrative authorization for construction, while at Sol de Casaquemada, in Sanlúcar la Mayor, construction works are about to start .
