The Spanish Photovoltaic Union (UNEF), the leading solar energy industry association in Spain with more than 800 member companies, held the first day of the III Energy Storage and Green Hydrogen Summit. Joan Groizard, Secretary of State for Energy, urged the business sector to demand political commitment.

He emphasized the need for all political forces to take responsibility in regulating the energy sector to ensure Spain’s leadership in decarbonization.

“I don’t want to complain or go into details, but we need co-responsibility from everyone,” said Groizard, stressing that many measures require legislative approval. “If we don’t convince the parliamentary spectrum, this opportunity will be lost.”

Groizard highlighted Spain’s role as a global benchmark in renewables and emphasized that, with competitive prices, decarbonization could progress in more sectors than initially anticipated.

However, he acknowledged the challenge of balancing proposals without increasing electricity costs: “It’s a puzzle we are working on.”

“We are a reference in Europe and worldwide in renewables and in attracting new demand for clean and innovative technologies. Now we must go further—it’s time to decarbonize all sectors. Every decision must make sense individually and, collectively, be optimal for the system,” Groizard stated.

Meanwhile, Rafael Benjumea, president of UNEF, outlined several key priorities that still need development, including making energy storage a priority with the necessary financial incentives, eliminating administrative and knowledge barriers, and boosting hydrogen demand through a local European strategy similar to that developed for solar energy.

Both the Secretary of State and the UNEF president agreed on the urgent need to promote energy storage in Spain.

UNEF’s Call for Action: “There’s Still Much Work to Do”

UNEF emphasized that energy storage is as crucial to a photovoltaic installation as the solar panels themselves. It maximizes solar energy utilization, extends the availability of cheap energy, stabilizes electricity prices, and delivers environmental benefits by preventing reliance on conventional power plants.

The first day of the summit addressed pressing industry topics, such as new capacity mechanisms, regulatory conditions at both national and regional levels, battery safety, and the challenges and opportunities for energy projects and their environmental and social integration.

The 10 Barriers UNEF Wants to Eliminate in Energy Storage

UNEF identified the main obstacles facing hybrid energy storage, standalone storage, and storage systems in island regions:

Barriers to Hybrid Energy Storage

1. In some regions, adding storage requires restarting the permitting process for the hybrid photovoltaic plant, risking failure to meet project deadlines. UNEF proposes regulatory changes or clarifications stating that photovoltaic and storage components can and should be processed in parallel.
2. Many installations with nearly 50MW of installed capacity avoid adding batteries due to regulatory changes requiring a new permitting process. UNEF suggests evaluating access capacity instead of installed capacity when adding storage.
3. A new environmental assessment is required for storage additions. UNEF proposes allowing an addendum to the existing environmental assessment for the generation project, provided the storage remains within the evaluated perimeter.
4. When multiple generation facilities share a common transmission infrastructure, only one can incorporate storage that draws power from the grid. UNEF advocates for regulatory changes allowing all interconnected facilities to add grid-connected storage.
5. The total installed power of a hybrid system currently sums photovoltaic and storage capacities, even when the storage system operates on direct current using existing inverters. UNEF proposes considering inverter power instead, avoiding unnecessary power aggregation.

Barriers to Standalone Energy Storage

6. It is unclear whether independent energy storage projects can apply for a Public Utility Declaration (DUP) for transmission lines. UNEF suggests regulatory clarification allowing storage facilities to qualify.
7. Regional urban planning regulations often lack clarity on permitted land use for energy storage installations. UNEF calls for guidelines defining suitable land classifications for such projects.

Barriers to Energy Storage in Island Regions

8. Energy prices on islands are adjusted based on OMIE’s average market price and hourly demand. UNEF proposes regulatory changes to ensure appropriate price signals for new storage projects in non-peninsular territories.

Barriers to Behind-the-Meter Storage

9. Increasing the variable portion of electricity tariffs is essential since behind-the-meter storage enhances self-consumption and reduces grid congestion.
10. Independent aggregators need regulatory development to allow behind-the-meter storage to participate in balancing and adjustment services.

A Summit Featuring Industry Experts in Energy Storage and Green Hydrogen

The summit, concluding on Wednesday, will delve into key topics such as the European outlook for green hydrogen, new project development strategies, future financing scenarios, and revenue opportunities for hybrid storage projects.

Speakers include Fátima García Señán, Deputy Director General for Storage and Flexibility at MITECO; Carlos Redondo, Deputy Director General for Electric Energy at the Ministry for Ecological Transition; Jesús Ferrero, Deputy Director General for Renewable Energies at MITECO; Rocío Prieto, Energy Director at Spain’s National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC); Manuel Larrasa, Secretary General for Energy of Andalusia; Cristina Aparicio, Director General for Energy Transition and Circular Economy of the Community of Madrid; Tomás Domínguez, Director of Grid Operations Programming at Red Eléctrica; and Pedro Basagoiti, Director of Technology, Innovation, and New Developments at OMIE.

The summit will also introduce UNEF’s Energy Storage Excellence Seal, setting industry standards for best practices in energy storage project development. This initiative aims to foster investment while ensuring projects meet socio-economic, environmental, circular economy, and governance criteria.

This certification will serve as a guarantee of sustainable and safe energy storage development in Spain, whether through hybrid or standalone storage solutions.

As in previous years, networking spaces remain a major attraction of the summit, bringing together hundreds of industry professionals and key decision-makers in the sector that will shape the future of solar energy and energy storage.