The solar farm has a 12-year PPA with Statkraft already in place and is less than 3 kilometres away from the original Don Rodrigo solar park (174 megawatts) which was the first subsidy-free utility-scale PV plant in Europe. The 50 megawatt Don Rodrigo 2 solar farm is situated near Seville in the south of Spain and will be connected to the grid at the beginning of 2020.
Benedikt Ortmann, Global Director of Solar Projects at BayWa r.e. commented on the sale: “We have built the first Don Rodrigo project in 2018 mapping out the future of solar energy. With Don Rodrigo 2 we are now continuing to lead the way for grid-parity in Spain and Europe.” And he adds: “This latest deal to sell Don Rodrigo 2 to the Talanx Group builds on an already successful relationship that has seen us take on the operations and management of its 300 MW onshore wind farm portfolio earlier this year. The Talanx Group is a perfect partner for us, with a like-minded focus on sustainable investments and increasing Europe’s renewable energy output.”
Self-powered trackers
The sale showcases how BayWa r.e.’s global renewables expertise can support investors, in both the management and investment of the renewables sector. Peter Brodehser, Head of Infrastructure Investments at Talanx: “We are very pleased to have secured the purchase of the subsidy-free Don Rodrigo 2. One of the Talanx Group’s goal is to continue to increase our investments in renewables. Like BayWa r.e., we take a long-term view to our projects, securing the best projects for our company group while increasing the generation of green energy. We have invested around 1.3 billion euros in renewable energy and are proud to be supporting the emergence of grid parity and the development of subsidy-free solar.”
Spread over 162 hectares of land, the newly sold solar farm also benefits from an innovative new single-axis tracker system. Developed by BayWa r.e. and Zimmermann PV-Tracker GmbH it is the first tracker to be self-powered by its own string modules. This removes the need for a battery system and improves its reliability.
BayWa r.e. to operate and maintain
Don Rodrigo 2 will generate approximately 100 gigawatt hours of solar power every year, equivalent to the annual consumption of around 30,000 Spanish households. BayWa r.e. will continue to operate and maintain the solar farm on behalf of the Talanx Group.
BayWa r.e. is proactively looking for new solar and wind projects and developers to work with in Spain and Portugal. (mfo)
