Canary Islands To Host 255 MW Solar PV Capacity

Spain's Canary Islands will have 255 MW of solar PV capacity coming online in the form of 65 projects selected by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) under the SolCan aid program. This is an oversubscription since the original capacity it anticipated for this program was only 150 MW (see Spanish Govt. To Back 150 MW Solar On Canary Islands).

This capacity is expected to increase soon the solar power capacity in the energy mix of Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain, as all projects selected are scheduled to become operational by December 31, 2022. While the Spanish government is supporting this call with €20 million, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is co-financing the capacity.

Of the 65 projects awarded provisionally, 36 will be developed on the island of Gran Canaria with a combined capacity of 119.5 MW, 18 projects with 102.1 MW capacity will be located on Fuerteventura island, 6 with 26.6 MW in Tenerife, 4 facilities with Lanzarote, and 1 project of 0.7 MW in La Gomera.

With these projects, Spain wants its islands to lead their own energy transition, bring down costs of electricity consumption, and use the locations as testing locations for technologies or policies that can be exported to the rest of the country.

Promoting solar power under SolCan for Canary Islands located in the Atlantic Ocean, and under SolBal for its Mediterranean Sea located Balearic Islands is part of Spain's National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). The country aims to become climate neutral by 2050 (see Way Cleared For Spanish Renewable Energy Auctions).

In November 2020, Spain's Energy Ministry approved €12 million for IDAE to support PV, wind, biogas, and biomass projects in the northern province of Galicia to be selected through competitive bidding (see €12 Million For Innovative RE Projects In Galicia, Spain).