The formal event, held at the Jofemar facilities where the microgrid is located, was attended by Manu Ayerdi, Vice President of Economic Development for the Government of Navarre. Also present were Félix Guindulain, Vice President of Jofemar; Miguel Ángel Carrero, General Manager of Jofemar; and Pablo Ayesa, General Manager of CENER, as partners in the project, as well as institutional representatives, including the Government Delegate in Navarre, Carmen Alba, and the Mayor of Peralta, Juan Carlos Castillo, and several members of the Navarre Parliament. Representatives from universities and executives from leading companies in the sector in Spain were also in attendance, and they had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the project and all the technologies developed to date.
Factory Microgrid
integrates a 120 kW wind turbine and 40 kW photovoltaic modules installed on the roof as energy generation sources, as well as Zn-Br flow batteries, developed by Jofemar Energy, with a storage capacity of up to 300 kWh. It also features six bidirectional V2G electric vehicle charging points and one 50 kW fast-charging station, which will supply six electric vehicles.
Furthermore, the pilot plant includes control software developed by CENER that allows for the proper integration of the technologies and, together with management strategies, enables optimal operation of the installation. The total installed capacity of the installation exceeds 160 kW, which will generate renewable energy to supply Jofemar's industrial plant and achieve an estimated savings of up to 65% of current energy consumption.
“The collaboration between the two partners allows for the necessary balance for the development of this type of project. On the one hand, there is the participation of a company with its specific problems and needs, as well as extensive knowledge in electric mobility and electrical storage, and on the other hand, a technology center that contributes its know-how, experience, and technological development capacity,” highlighted Félix Guindulain, Vice President of Jofemar.
This first full-scale demonstrator is one of the first projects of its kind in Spain and aims to quickly and effectively adapt industrial facilities to the European Union's 20-20-20 targets for reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption. "The main objective of the LIFE Factory Microgrid project is to demonstrate that microgrids are the most suitable solution, in terms of environmental impact, for electricity generation in industry, especially in areas with high availability of renewable energy," commented Pablo Ayesa, CEO of CENER, during his presentation.
With this project, the consortium has estimated that it will achieve a reduction of more than 96 metric tons of annual CO2 emissions and will produce more than 160,000 kWh of CO2-free energy per year.
The partners in the Factory Microgrid project (LIFE13 ENV/ES/000700) are the Jofemar Corporation and the National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER). Under development since July 2014, the project will run until June 2017 and represents an investment of nearly €2 million, approximately 50% of which will be financed by the European Union's LIFE+ program, the EU's environmental financing instrument. The Factory Microgrid project also receives funding from the Government of Navarre through the 2015 call for subsidies for renewable energy installations without grid connection and microgrids.
