EDP and Central Lechera Asturiana renew their agreement on self-consumption with ten installations in operation and 60 in the pipeline
The farmers who opt for solar energy will reduce their investment by 35% thanks to the grants.
The Central Lechera Asturiana farmers who have made a solar installation with EDP are self-consuming more than 64% of the energy produced. This translates into an estimated average saving higher than when Central Lechera Asturiana and EDP began to promote self-consumption of energy among the nearly 1,000 members of the cooperative. As a result of this situation, Central Lechera Asturiana has chosen to reaffirm its alliance with EDP to continue promoting self-consumption among its farmers, betting on sustainability and energy savings.
Ten farmers have already incorporated a solar installation in their farms and are producing more energy than expected, reducing their energy costs and enjoying significant savings, allowing them to be more efficient and sustainable.
Altogether, these installations have avoided during their first year of operation the emission into the atmosphere of 26 tons of CO2, equivalent to the positive impact of 1,925 trees.
In addition to all of these advantages, farmers can improve their experience through an application that allows for remote management and can be consulted at any time. Thus, those who have already adopted solar energy on their farms are saving an average of 20% on their bills, thanks to the fact that they self-consume more than 60% of the energy produced by their panels, returning to the grid the energy they do not use and for which they obtain a return.
In the words of José Luis González Rodríguez, owner of a farm with the same name: "Solar energy is the best option to ensure the success of the livestock farm in the coming years. With the solar installation carried out by EDP, in the last year I have saved around 30% on my electricity bill thanks to the fact that, in my case, I self-consume more than 85% of the energy".
For Francisco San Martín, CEO of Central Lechera Asturiana: "Protecting the natural environment and respecting the environment is one of our strategic pillars. This agreement contributes to that end, by taking advantage of the benefits offered by self-consumption to make livestock farming a more efficient, modern and innovative activity.”
Gabriel Nebreda, director of EDP Solar, said that "livestock farming is a particularly prudent sector when it comes to making investment decisions, given the high competitiveness of its business. Therefore, it is important for farmers to put themselves in the hands of an expert and reliable company, since it will accompany them for the next 30 years of the useful life of their solar installation. At EDP we are the leader in solar self-consumption in Iberia because we are focused on offering the solution that each of our customers need to maximize electricity savings and combine renewable production and respect for the environment."
In the coming months, photovoltaic installations are expected to be installed in 60 more farms -reaching a total of almost 1 MWp installed- once the farms have approved the subsidies that the energy company itself has managed for them.
Thanks to these subsidies, the investment for a solar installation is reduced by up to 35%, with the investment being amortized in only 4 years. In the case of a solar installation with battery, the investment is reduced by 65% and is amortized in 3 and a half years.
The grants for these installations are especially relevant for farms located in rural areas, since the subsidy granted represents an additional 5% in the case of municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants.
All this reinforces the alliance created between Central Lechera Asturiana and EDP, thus renewing the existing agreement, which provides farmers with a differentiated service with special conditions, informative actions, as well as accompaniment and advice throughout the process.
The photovoltaic installations carried out by EDP have 24/7 maintenance and monitoring. In addition, all incidents are managed through the app, by means of intelligent alerts and periodic quality controls that allow any incident to be resolved on time and remotely.
