Photovoltaic solar energy for the Andévalo Pedro Arco irrigation community in Huelva

Contracting authority: State-owned company SEIASA

The project consists of the installation of photovoltaic solar energy for the state-owned company SEIASA to improve energy efficiency in irrigation and reduce grid electricity consumption. This project is located in the west of the province of Huelva, on land managed by the Andévalo Pedro Arco Irrigation Community.

One of the novel aspects of this project lies in the construction of floating photovoltaic plants, which, in addition to energy efficiency, will improve the performance of solar photovoltaic energy production, reduce evaporation losses from the water body and reduce eutrophication in the irrigation pond. The solar panels will be superimposed on floating polyethenes..

According to World Bank estimates, floating solar power has the potential to double the installed photovoltaic capacity by harnessing artificial water reservoirs: dams, reservoirs, irrigation ponds and the like. Within the EU, Spain is the country with the greatest potential, as it has the most infrastructures that could be used for this type of installation..

Solar photovoltaic plant

The aim of the project is to reduce pollutant emissions and the energy dependence of this irrigation community. Conacon Sando will install three solar photovoltaic plants

• Solar photovoltaic plant of 899 kWp peak power at the Azud de Matavacas for the pumping station of the Community intake.
• Solar photovoltaic plant 190kWp peak power at CRPA3 B.E., to supply the existing pumping for the community members to the north of the main pipeline.
• Dehesilla solar photovoltaic plant with 1,633kWp peak power: consisting of a 369kWp floating solar photovoltaic subplant on the Dehesilla 1 reservoir, which supplies energy to the Dehesilla 1, Dehesilla 2 and EDAR pumping stations, and a second 1,264kWp ground-mounted subplant. next to the Dehesilla pond, for the same purpose as the previous one. The floor slabs shall be installed on a fixed structure with predrilling (mechanical insertion of profiles), while the raft installation will be on floating polyethylene structures.

The three solar plants will have auxiliary installations, with special emphasis on the use of solar inverters for the operation of the existing pumping stations, as well as CCTV, security and surveillance systems, communications and remote control systems, inverters and the aforementioned solar inverters.

Energy and energy efficiency

This project is in line with Conacon Sando’s new area of specialisation: Energy. This area deals with integral solutions for energy saving in industry, renewable gases for green H2 and biomethane, as well as photovoltaic plant projects and improving energy efficiency in public infrastructures, among others.