The largest photovoltaic plant in Europe has just come into operation last week. It discharged its first MWh of clean energy into the electricity grid on the 6th of April. Iberdrola has succeeded in commissioning the Núñez de Balboa project - the biggest photovoltaic plant in Europe - in record time. It was built in just one year and completed last December.
Núñez de Balboa, with 500 megawatts (MW) of installed power and involving an investment approaching EUR 300 million (USD 329 million), is between the towns of Usagre, Hinojosa del Valle and Bienvenida in Badajoz in Extremadura region. The scheme features 1,430,000 solar panels, 115 inverters, and two substations, stretching across close to 1,000 hectares (2471.1 acres) of land.
The plant, which is being developed in collaboration with Ecoenergías del Guadiana, is a record-breaking renewable flagship project: