Solar hybridization with batteries authorized in Alconera

The General Directorate of Industry, Energy and Mines of the Regional Ministry of Industry, Energy, Science and Territory has authorized the company Olcin Solar Energy, SL to incorporate an electrochemical battery storage module into the Alcon 1 photovoltaic plant, located in the municipality of Alconera (Badajoz). The decision is detailed in a resolution dated May 15, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura number 160, dated August 19, 2026, with reference 2026062158.

The resolution modifies the prior administrative authorization granted on November 17, 2020, for the Alcon 1 photovoltaic installation and its evacuation infrastructure, within the framework of file GE-M/42/19. With this modification, the plant is reconfigured as a hybrid installation combining solar generation and energy storage.

File Background

The request for modification was submitted on December 18, 2024, by Mr. Francisco Javier Cabrera Casado, representing Olcin Solar Energy, SL, a company with CIF B06752141 and registered office in Alcalá de Guadaíra (Seville). The public information process ended on September 3, 2025, with allegations submitted by Mr. Julio César Pintos Cubo, representing Ecologistas en Acción de Extremadura, which were answered by the promoter and assessed by the General Directorate.

The simplified environmental impact assessment of the hybridization project was archived by the General Directorate of Sustainability on December 11, 2025, due to the subsequent disappearance of its object. The final documentation was completed on March 18, 2026.

Characteristics of the Hybrid Installation

The resulting hybrid plant presents the following technical data:

Total installed capacity: 26.00 MW, with a control system (PPC) that limits the active power injected into the grid to 23.1552 MW.
Existing Alcon 1 photovoltaic module: 25.794 MW of installed capacity, with an operating authorization dated September 12, 2023.
Alcon 1 BESS storage module: 10.911 MW of installed capacity, consisting of 3 lithium battery containers of 3,900 kW, with a capacity of 7.732 MWh and a charge/discharge time of 2 hours.
Power conversion systems: 3 units, each with an inverter of 3,637 kW and a transformer of 3,637 kVA (30/0.63 kV).
Underground connection line: 18/30 kV, 26 meters long, connecting the conversion systems to the plant’s transformer substation.
Material execution budget for the storage module: €6,701,917.

The battery module will be located in polygon 5, plot 63, of the municipality of Alconera, and will only allow for the accumulation of part of the electrical energy generated by the photovoltaic plant. Evacuation is carried out through the 26 MVA transformer substation and a 66-meter 66 kV overhead line that connects to the SET Puebla substation, owned by EDistribución Redes Digitales, SLU.

Regulatory framework and conditions

The authorization is based on Law 24/2013, of December 26, on the Electricity Sector, and Royal Decree 1955/2000, of December 1, which regulates the authorization procedure for electrical installations. Royal Decree 997/2025, of November 5, on urgent measures for the reinforcement of the electrical system, which modified the definition of installed capacity of Royal Decree 413/2014, is also applicable.

The company is obliged to comply with the electricity sector regulations and the conditions of the affected administrations. The resolution, signed by the general director Raquel Pastor López, does not end the administrative process and may be appealed by administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) before the Ministry within one month.

Relevance for the region

The hybridization of the Alcon 1 plant with battery storage represents a significant step for energy storage in Extremadura, as it allows for better management of solar production and reinforces grid stability. The incorporation of a BESS system of more than 10 MW makes this installation a benchmark for the regional energy transition, in line with the objectives of renewable integration and electrical system flexibility.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura, number 160, August 19, 2026, section III Other Resolutions (official reference: 2026062158).