Electric utilities are pursuing new strategies to maximize the use of renewable resources and existing infrastructure. Spain is rolling out a wide, long-term program of green facilities that will shape the energy landscape for decades. Amid a surge of projects, companies anticipate a renewed boom in Spain’s renewable sector as they seek to optimize land use and capitalize on coveted grid-connected locations.
Major groups such as Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy, Acciona Energía and Solaria are among the leaders preparing numerous hybrid renewable power plant projects. Hybridization brings together different green energy forms within a single installation, enabling better use of rural land and leveraging existing grid access infrastructure.
Hybridization, expected to become the norm, involves placing solar panels among wind turbines in wind farms. Companies are also pursuing plans to combine green generation equipment with storage, though this approach remains in early stages and will rely on higher-capacity battery technology as it develops.
Energy firms have begun securing the permits needed to develop these so-called mega plants that merge wind, solar and storage. Spain’s electricity system operator, REE, has adjusted its grid-connection statistics to reflect the coming surge in hybrid projects. This update underscores the shift in the sector and the growing importance of integrated facilities in the national grid.
Dozens of projects emerge
Available data on plant hybridization points to a significant role for this approach in Spain’s green transition. REE records indicate hybridization requests totaling around 11,000 megawatts (MW), signaling strong sector interest in optimizing facilities and anticipating multi-billion-euro investments to maximize output and efficiency.
By the end of October, official REE figures show renewable plants already in operation, mostly wind, totaling about 7,300 MW that have requested permission to pair with another green facility. An additional 3,400 MW already have grid access approvals but are not yet operational, and roughly 300 MW remain in the pipeline with requests submitted and awaiting permission. Officials note that some projects are awaiting final grid access determinations before moving forward.
Red Eléctrica has decided to separate hybridization data from other monthly statistics. When a plant becomes hybridized, its technology straddles wind and solar, causing many facilities to temporarily disappear from traditional categories. This shift prompted new sections in records for wind farms, photovoltaics, and hybridization, reflecting the evolving nature of the grid as more hybrids come online.
Aragon leads construction and hybridization plans with about 2,100 MW slated for hybrid development. Castile-La Mancha follows with 2,000 MW, while Andalusia and Castile and León each target around 1,100 MW, and Extremadura aims for 900 MW. Aragon is also attracting the most demand for projects not yet operational, including a new 1,800 MW hybrid linked to a green mega-complex being built by Endesa on the site of the former Andorra coal plant in Teruel.
Access points to the electrical grid have become highly valuable. In several regions, grid saturation and the rapid growth of renewables have turned connection points into scarce, highly contested assets, sometimes prompting speculative moves to secure grid access by reselling projects just to gain permission to connect.
Hybridizing different technologies at a single site improves network utilization. By sharing a single connection point, the need for new lines or substations declines. These hybrid plants leverage land already reserved for renewables, enabling shared pathways and facilities for both technologies while reducing environmental impact. The approach also provides steadier electricity production by drawing from a common discharge point.
Companies’ plans
Industry giants such as Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy, Acciona Energía and Solaria have embraced the hybrid strategy, with substantial plans to build new facilities or retrofit existing ones. Most projects focus on combining wind and solar within the same complex, though some initiatives explore coupling renewables with batteries for storage and resilience.
Naturgy is examining hybridization potential across the production network to participate in this new chapter by developing fresh projects or expanding existing facilities. Earlier this year, the group completed a portfolio acquisition in Spain that includes 435 MW of hybrid projects spread across Castilla y León, Andalusia, Galicia and Catalonia, illustrating how consolidation can accelerate the transition.
Beyond the acquisition, Naturgy is pursuing additional projects in Castilla-La Mancha to convert twelve wind farms into hybrid solar facilities aiming to become operational in 2025. In addition to wind-solar hybrids, the company is advancing hydro-vision integrations with photovoltaics and pursuing multiple battery-storage projects to hybridize currently active photovoltaic sites.
Iberdrola has completed Spain’s first hybrid wind-solar plant in Burgos, with commissioning underway at 74 MW and an investment of around 40 million euros. Endesa plans to anchor its flagship mega complex at the Andorra site in Teruel, featuring seven hybrid facilities totaling 1,800 MW with an investment exceeding 1.5 billion euros. Activate Energy has 2,300 MW of photovoltaic-hybrid projects at varying stages of development.
A notable share of hybridization projects centers on wind farms where solar panels are placed between turbines. Solaria, however, is pursuing a different approach by integrating wind turbines into photovoltaic sites. Solaria’s portfolio aims for 3,000 MW of combined solar and wind, with about 1,200 MW already under construction and the remaining 1,800 MW slated for commissioning next year.