Endesa opens Gran Canaria solar farm with four-hour battery at plant

• Endesa inaugurated an 8.25-MW solar farm with a 4.2-MW battery at Barranco de Tirajana, adding flexible clean power to Gran Canaria’s island grid.

Endesa has inaugurated an 8.25-MW solar farm paired with a 4.2-MW battery energy storage system at the Barranco de Tirajana thermal power station on Gran Canaria. The hybrid installation is built to island realities: maximize local renewables at midday, then shift energy into evening hours while providing rapid grid-support services that reduce reliance on fossil-fired units.

Co-location at an existing plant brings advantages. The project reuses substation and access infrastructure, shortens permitting, and allows a unified controller to optimize charge-discharge cycles against system conditions. With four-hour-class storage, the battery can absorb excess solar during the brightest part of the day and deliver through the dusk ramp, while also supplying fast frequency response and voltage control when disturbances occur.

Engineering follows mature standards for safety and reliability. Containerized lithium-ion units include sectionalized fire-safety systems, gas detection and robust thermal management for hot, saline environments. The PV array uses high-efficiency modules on tracker or fixed-tilt racking optimized for the site’s wind and corrosion profile. Plant controls meet Spain’s grid-code requirements for reactive power and ride-through, with remote SCADA integration into station operations.

For Gran Canaria’s grid operator, this type of hybrid asset provides a local shock absorber: fewer starts for peaker units, lower fuel consumption, and improved stability during contingencies. Over time, data from the plant will inform broader deployment of storage across the archipelago as EVs and electrified cooling raise evening demand.

Community considerations featured heavily. Construction was managed with traffic and noise controls; environmental plans include species-appropriate groundcover and drainage sized for intense rain events. End-of-life provisions ensure responsible decommissioning and recycling pathways for modules and batteries.

While modest in nameplate terms, the Barranco de Tirajana project is a blueprint for island systems: pair solar with multi-hour storage at strong grid nodes, integrate through proven controls, and turn intermittent generation into dependable capacity without overbuilding new lines.