Canary Islands waste over 15% of renewable energy due to storage limits

The Canary Islands are currently wasting more than 15% of their generated renewable energy because the island power systems lack the technical capacity to integrate and store the excess electricity. During a parliamentary appearance, Mariano Zapata, the Counselor for Ecological Transition and Energy, noted that wind and solar production often does not align with peak consumption hours, forcing the disconnection of turbines and panels to maintain grid stability.

To address this inefficiency and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, the administration is focusing on three strategic pillars: large-scale pumped hydro storage, battery systems, and submarine interconnections. Key projects include the Salto de Chira and the future Güímar pumped-storage hydroelectric plant in Tenerife, which is expected to require an investment exceeding 1 billion euros to reach 200 MW of capacity.

While the Gorona del Viento project in El Hierro has successfully achieved over 60% renewable penetration through pumped storage, the rest of the archipelago remains near 20%. Authorities emphasize that the priority must shift from merely increasing installed megawatt capacity to developing the infrastructure necessary to store and utilize clean energy when the system requires it.