Estabanell, a focus on the energy transition
The leading company in the energy and telecommunications sectors, headquartered in Granollers, continues its commitment to renewable energy generation.
Catalonia and Spain are undergoing a profound transformation towards a more sustainable energy model, driven by renewable energies. However, this process, essential for combating climate change and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, is progressing at uneven paces and faces significant challenges.
Estabanell, a leading energy and telecommunications company based in Granollers, is committed to renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, and energy digitalization to advance the energy transition. Its focus on developing solar farms, primarily in Catalonia, serves two purposes: firstly, to help Catalonia achieve its renewable energy generation targets for 2030 and 2050; and secondly—with a broader perspective—to become more independent from the energy market and its fluctuations. Ultimately, this self-sufficiency strategy aims to positively impact not only customer bills but also the environment.
The company has 23 small-scale distributed solar park projects in various stages of the permitting and authorization process—15 in Barcelona, 4 in Girona, and 4 in Tarragona—which, combined, represent only 77 MW of the more than 4,000 MW required to meet the photovoltaic targets. Two more projects are planned for Aragon (Teruel and Zaragoza) and one for Andalusia (Granada). Currently, the company's only operational photovoltaic park is located in Cañada de Lentisco, in the Murcian municipality of Caravaca de la Cruz, and has been operational since 2023.
The distributed park model that Estabanell is promoting is based on the construction of small, ground-mounted solar installations spread across various locations, integrated into the landscape with naturalization measures and vegetation screens, and located near consumption areas. This system not only improves local energy management but also reduces energy loss during transmission and facilitates its integration into the surrounding area. Estabanell is committed to a 360-degree renewable energy generation model, generating and helping to generate energy by promoting, on the one hand, photovoltaic solar parks on the ground and, on the other, self-consumption for both residential and industrial use.
Catalonia, at the bottom of the list in Spain
In Catalonia, the deployment of renewable energy is progressing slowly but steadily. According to data from a report by Red Eléctrica, Spain's electricity transmission operator, Catalonia is growing its renewable energy generation seven times slower than the rest of Spain. While Spain saw a 15.1% increase in 2023, Catalonia's growth was only 2.2%. Although the region has great potential for generating solar energy thanks to its climate, the implementation of new solar farms has been hampered by the complexity of administrative processes and resistance from some local sectors concerned about the environmental and landscape impact. While the path forward for renewable energy is fraught with challenges, companies like Estabanell in Catalonia serve as a clear example of how to move towards the energy transition responsibly and with consideration for the local context.
- Electrical aggregation and flexibility
The transition to a more sustainable energy model involves fundamental changes in how we consume, generate, and manage energy. Hence Estabanell's commitment to the digitalization of energy and the promotion of energy efficiency. In this context, two key concepts are gaining importance: aggregation and electrical flexibility.
- Aggregation is the remote and combined management of various energy assets—such as consumption, generation, and storage—belonging to multiple customers. This is done in a grouped manner, with an aggregator managing and optimizing these resources in the electricity markets.
- Electrical flexibility is the system's ability to adapt dynamically to consumption needs. In other words, the system must be able to constantly respond to variations in demand and provide the necessary energy at any given time in the most efficient way possible.
- A pending opportunity in Spain
Although these concepts are already in operation in other European countries, such as France and the United Kingdom, Spain is still in the process of developing a regulatory framework for electricity aggregation and flexibility. Currently, progress is being made on drafting a royal decree that will regulate these activities and lay the groundwork for developing these practices in the country. This decree will be finalized by the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC).
- Benefits for consumers
Implementing these systems will allow customers to manage their energy more efficiently, adapting their consumption to the renewable energy generation at any given time and to the needs of the distribution network, with the possibility of reducing costs and selling surplus self-generated energy. This also makes consumers active participants in the electricity system.
- Estabanell's commitment
Estabanell believes that aggregation and flexibility are essential for a just and effective energy transition. The company is a founding member of Entra, the only national association dedicated to these issues, where it held the first presidency. It also actively participates in European research projects and is implementing flexibility solutions within its service portfolio for industrial and high-consumption clients.