Endesa S A : comission europe’s largest vanadium flow storage facility at a solar plant

It is precisely this last feature that makes these batteries particularly suitable for use in long-term applications, as well as for storing the energy produced by wind and solar farms, where many hours of storage are required.

Son Orlandis Batteries

The Son Orlandis battery system was developed in collaboration with Largo Clean Energy, the manufacturer of the VCHARGE± system, a world leader producing the most advanced vanadium flow battery systems.

The VCHARGE± storage system is an intrinsically safe and sustainable solution, as the electrolyte has an almost "infinite" useful life and it can easily be re-used at the end of its useful life without deteriorating, so there is no negative impact on the environment.

The advantage of this type of battery is that it has a useful life longer than 20 years with minimal deterioration, making it the ideal solution for long-term storage of more than 6 hours and with enormous advantages with regard to safety.

In the case of Son Orlandis, the storage system is associated with a 3.34 MWp photovoltaic plant. Because it uses a dedicated management system, the system's charging and discharging operations are optimised in accordance with renewable production and grid needs, so it is able to meet peak demand. From a technological point of view, the vanadium system is a step forward towards long-term storage systems which are essential for the energy management of an island like Mallorca.

Therefore, the battery system of the Balearic Islands will contribute to making the electricity grid more stable and suitable for the penetration of renewable energies by reducing dependence on fossil fuels, thus accelerating the path towards energy self-sufficiency of the islands.

It is a commitment to integrated, innovative renewable energy in the Balearic Islands

The Son Orlandis plant, in operation since 2023, has become an example not only of innovation but also of integration, as it has incorporated the principles of "Creating Shared Value " from its construction until now that it is in operation, so that the plant has been integrated into the territory and has made it possible to improve the economic and social conditions of the local environment in which it operates.

And it has done so by training the local population with the aim of improving their employability in a sector with great potential such as renewables. In this regard, courses have been given on the operation and maintenance of renewable energy plants, subsequently promoting local recruitment.

In addition to these courses, there is collaboration with the Juan XXIII Foundation and Esment, an entity that has been working for 55 years in the integration of people who are in situations of psychosocial vulnerability, have intellectual disabilities or suffer from mental illness. Through its subsidiary EGPE, Endesa organises courses on clearance, forest maintenance and composting in photovoltaic plants, so the students who obtain the certification, 11 have done this so far, are recruited in the renewable installations themselves to undertake these tasks which are essential in the operation of a renewable plant.