Food product casing manufacturer Viscofan has chosen Acciona Energía to install a 48MWp self-consumption solar system at its facilities in Cáseda, Spain, to provide renewable energy over the next 30 years.
The agreement provides for an on-site PPA formula in an “energy as a service” scheme, where Viscofan contracts the long-term clean electricity supply service.
In addition, the company will be able to monitor the plant’s energy consumption in real time and in detail through an Acciona Energía energy management platform that will communicate 24/7 through a digital panel with its control centre.
It is one of the largest photovoltaic plants for industrial self-consumption in Spain, with a power of 40MWn at the connection point, 45MW at inverters and 48MWp, to which must be added the development of the necessary infrastructures for its connection to the internal grid at its facilities in Cáseda.
This model allows decarbonisation and cost savings from the outset, digitalisation and flexibility in energy consumption, Viscofan said.
The self-consumption photovoltaic system, which has been declared by the Government of Navarre as a project of regional interest, will cover around 30% of the electricity needs of the Viscofan Group’s facilities in Navarre with 100% renewable energy.
Viscofan currently has electric boilers that will consume the energy generated by the photovoltaic plant, allowing carbon dioxide emissions to be reduced by 50,306 tonnes per year, the company said.
Viscofan Spain managing director Iñigo Martínez said: “This self-consumption project will reduce emissions from the Cáseda plant by more than 20%.
“It will be the largest initiative within the Viscofan Group’s Sustainability Action Plan, which includes, among others, its commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energies, as well as the development of sustainable products that also have a direct impact on its value chain.”