The largest industrial mega-battery for self-consumption in Europe with 2 MWh has been inaugurated

Photovoltaic and battery self-consumption enable the company to generate 90% of the energy it consumes

Innovation within energy storage in industry was the focus of the event held today at the TexAthenea textile facilities with the inauguration of its mega-battery, the largest in Europe for industrial self-consumption and which is a revolution in terms of sustainability and energy independence, in addition to paving the way for de-carbonisation.

The event, which was attended by one hundred business people and institutional and sector representatives, was chaired by the regional secretary for Sustainable Economy, Production Sectors, Commerce and Consumption, María Empar Martínez Bonafé, who said that “these types of pioneering actions evidence the energy transition, in addition to being a vector of progress. This is not a cost factor, but rather an opportunity vector.”  The head of the regional government pointed out the council’s commitment to these ventures in the industrial sector and was “an ally for those who open paths for progress and development with innovation,” in reference to the Villena textile company’s venture.

Attendees learned about this new system, installed by Cubierta Solar, which stores two megawatt hours (2 MWh) and 1 MW of power, similar to the consumption of 500 homes, with which both companies are once again working on together in order to be at the leading edge of the sector with a pioneering and benchmark project.

The lithium-ferrophosphate mega-battery measures 6 metres wide by 2.5 metres deep and 3 metres high, weighs more than 30 tonne and is a revolution for the industry as it entails “savings, independence, competitiveness, cost savings and sustainability,” as commented by the director of Cubierta Solar, Luis Navarro Buciega.

During his speech, Navarro stressed that “this battery offers a great alternative to electrify all consumption in factories and de-carbonise them, taking fossil fuel and more polluting energy out of the equation replaced by local, nearby, 100% renewable and sustainable energy.”

Juan Antonio Ribera, CEO of TexAthenea, pointed out that commitment to the mega-battery is essential to address the reality of the energy market and the social demands required of new production systems with a zero impact on the environment and that seek the concept of zero emissions at any production stage in companies and industries in the Alicante province.

The Managing Director of Huawei Digital Power Spain, Daniel Boluda, thanked “the mettle of those responsible for TexAthenea in their commitment to new battery technologies” and highlighted “Villena as a land of enterprising people.” Boluda said that “it is essential that the commitments that we make in the industrial sector for autonomy and energy independence are real commitments.”

The mayor of Villena, Fulgencio Cerdán, pointed out that “this event, the installation of this mega-battery, places Villena on the map of progress, innovation and the fight against climate change.” The head of the city council highlighted the effort required to move from the energy model based on fossil fuels to another focused on renewable sources such as the Sun.

A project that combines innovation and sustainability to improve competitiveness

 

TexAthenea leads the de-carbonisation actions within Spanish industry, setting a benchmark in 2018 for taking the step towards self-consumption with the largest photovoltaic panel installation in Spain. It currently achieves power of more than 8.8 MWp with the 22,000 panels on the roof and the self-consumption solar farm to which it is connected.

The last step, the installation of this 2 MWh mega-battery to store renewable energy, is accompanied by actions to replace gas boilers and machines with efficient electrical systems to electrify and harness the Sun as the engine for its production as well as de-carbonisation of the industry.

Thanks to the self-consumption plant and the latest-generation battery, TexAthenea harnesses 100% photovoltaic energy and generates 90% of the electricity consumed by the company and that comes directly from solar energy. The battery can store excess solar energy that is discharged when solar production ceases. In this way, the total amount of energy captured by the photovoltaic installation is used.

The company sustainably generates energy equivalent to the consumption of 5,000 homes and prevents the emission of 3,300 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.