Battery manufacturer Exide Technologies, a global provider of stored electrical energy solutions, has announced a major new solar installation to power its factory at San Esteban de Gormaz in Soria, Spain. The installation will enable Exide to draw much of its power from renewable sources at the site, leading to large reductions in CO2 emissions.
The landmark project will be delivered through a 15-year agreement with international energy group EDP, and follows a similar solar partnership between Exide and EDP in Portugal announced earlier in the year.
“We are excited to join with EDP on another landmark venture in renewable energy,” said Stefan Stübing at Exide, “Energy-intensive industries will have to rely increasingly on sustainable sources like solar, and our new photovoltaic plant with EDP shows the scale of what is possible. Not only will it reduce our carbon emissions, highlighting our commitment to sustainability, it will also improve our operating efficiency and performance.”
The project will involve the installation of a photovoltaic plant for self-consumption using around 4,000 solar panels. EDP España will develop and deliver the plant as a turnkey operation, supplying and assembling its parts and equipment and handling all maintenance and necessary documentation. An energy management system will allow Exide to monitor the energy being generated and how it is used in real time. EDP will run the plant for 15 years, after which Exide will take ownership.
The photovoltaic plant, with equipment generating 1.3 MWp of power, will enable Exide to draw a significant amount of its annual power needs from solar. This will allow the battery giant to reduce its CO2 emissions and improve its environmental footprint. The project is a clear sign of the growing momentum behind solar power as a real and sustainable solution for companies facing uncertainty over the future of fossil fuels, according to Exide.
The new contract was signed at Exide’s Spanish headquarters in Azuqueca de Henares, Guadalajara, by Stefan Stübing, president EMEA at Exide, and Javier Sáenz de Jubera, commercial general director of EDP España. It strengthens the relationship between the two companies, which already partner on a similar plant in Portugal – EDP’s largest solar energy project in that country.
According to Sáenz de Jubera at EDP España, the contract “signifies the possibilities of self-consumption as one of the biggest challenges the energy sector is facing. Solar power is already a solution for companies and will continue to be so in the future, as it offers many advantages: it increases competitiveness, reduces the power bill and optimizes energy efficiency, while reinforcing the client’s commitment to sustainability.”
