Compiled with the help of artificial intelligence, based on Spanish-language information. Source below the article.
Guía de Isora is set to host the largest battery storage facility yet planned on Tenerife, thanks to an initiative from Iberdrola Renovables Canarias. The company intends to invest €36 million in Bat Chío, an installation capable of storing 169 megawatt hours (MWh) — more than any other individual project proposed for the island. The scheme joins the wave of storage systems now working their way through the approval process as the Canary Islands seek to make better use of renewable energy.
To put its size into perspective, that capacity equates to 169,000 kilowatt hours, enough to cover the theoretical daily consumption of around 22,500 households for a full day. With Bat Chío, the number of large batteries planned on Tenerife over the past year and a half reaches 23, with a combined capacity of around 937 MWh and investment exceeding €150 million. On paper, the energy all these installations could store is equivalent to the daily consumption of some 125,000 homes. The Iberdrola scheme alone accounts for 18% of that capacity and raises the volume of planned storage on the island by 22%.
Public consultation under way
The Directorate-General for Energy of the Canary Islands Government has published the notice submitting Bat Chío to public consultation for 30 days. The file includes the application for administrative authorisation and a simplified environmental impact assessment. The installation will have around 40 megawatts (MW) of power and an expected duration of four hours. The system will operate independently, rather than being tied exclusively to a solar or wind farm. Iberdrola is planning a transformer substation stepping up from 30 to 66 kilovolts, along with underground power lines to connect to the Guía de Isora substation. Electricity will be stored whenever it is available and returned to the grid at times of greatest need.
How it compares with other projects
The scale of the scheme stands out when set against the others. The two Villa BESS installations planned in Santa Úrsula together total 120 MWh: Bat Chío will be able to store 41% more energy than both combined. Other notable projects include BESS Tango in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with 72 MWh; BESS Gracia in Los Realejos, with 60; and BESS Arona I and II, with 59 and 53 MWh respectively. The Guía de Isora battery will have more than double the capacity of the one in Santa Cruz.
Its budget also stands out. The €36 million represents almost a third of the more than €115 million accounted for by the known investments before the new proposal was added. Its financial scale places Bat Chío among the main schemes planned to expand Tenerife’s electricity storage capacity.
Expansion beyond the south
The expansion is not confined to the south of the island. Nine installations from the Capella, Polaris and Sirius families are being processed in Los Realejos, with notices published in early October. The projects in Santa Úrsula, Santa Cruz and Arona complete a territorial spread that covers various points across Tenerife. Some proposals concentrate a large capacity in a single site, while others are divided among smaller installations.
Why storage matters for the island’s grid
The surge in these batteries responds to one of the main obstacles to increasing the share of clean energy. Solar farms produce during daylight hours and wind farms depend on the wind, while consumption follows different schedules. When renewable generation exceeds demand or the grid’s capacity to absorb it, some of that electricity goes to waste. Batteries make it possible to store those surpluses and use them later, especially in the late afternoon or during the night.
Storage also gives the electricity system flexibility. These systems respond quickly to variations in demand and in renewable output, something especially important on Tenerife, whose grid is not connected to the major continental systems. That status makes it necessary to maintain a constant balance between the electricity generated and the electricity consumed, without the backup provided by large electricity interconnections.
Reducing reliance on fossil fuels
The island still obtains most of its electricity from thermal power stations fuelled by fossil fuels. The expansion of wind and photovoltaic farms requires resources capable of making use of their output when it does not coincide with consumption needs. Storage will make it possible to reduce reliance on conventional generation when enough renewable electricity has been accumulated, as well as making it easier to bring new clean installations on stream.
This energy transformation also includes research into harnessing geothermal energy from Tenerife’s volcanic subsoil. Unlike solar and wind power, the aim is to obtain a continuous source of generation, independent of weather conditions. Combining different renewable production technologies with large-scale storage systems opens up new possibilities for reducing the island’s dependence on imported fuels.
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