Overview
El Cuervo Chico is a 20 MW solar PV plant in Spain, operational and contributing to the country's renewable energy capacity under the EU Renewable Energy Directive.
El Cuervo Chico is a solar photovoltaic (PV) facility located in Spain, with a capacity of 20 megawatts. The plant is operational and plays a role in Spain's growing renewable energy sector, which is supported by national policies aligned with the EU Renewable Energy Directive III (2023/2413) targeting 42.5% renewable energy by 2030. The facility uses solar PV technology to convert sunlight into electricity, a common and rapidly expanding technology in Spain due to high solar irradiance. With a capacity of 20 MW, it falls into the small-to-medium scale for utility solar plants in the region, contributing to distributed generation and grid stability. Environmentally, the plant helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing fossil fuel-based electricity. It operates under Spain's regulatory framework for renewable energy, which includes feed-in tariffs and grid access provisions. The facility's location in southern Spain benefits from high solar resource, maximizing energy yield and supporting national renewable energy targets.
Environmental context
The plant is located in southern Spain, a region with high solar irradiance, making it ideal for solar PV generation. The environmental context includes land-use considerations typical of ground-mounted solar arrays, which can affect local ecosystems. However, solar PV generally has low operational emissions and contributes to reducing Spain's carbon footprint, aligning with EU climate goals.
Frequently asked questions
El Cuervo Chico is located in Spain, with coordinates approximately 36.84° N, -6.058° W, in the southern region of the country.
El Cuervo Chico has a capacity of 20 megawatts (MW), making it a small-to-medium scale solar PV facility.
The facility uses solar photovoltaic (PV) technology to generate electricity from sunlight.
Spain aims to achieve 42.5% renewable energy by 2030 under the EU Renewable Energy Directive III. El Cuervo Chico contributes to this target by generating clean electricity and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
Spain's renewable energy sector is governed by national laws implementing EU directives, including feed-in tariffs, grid access guarantees, and renewable energy auctions, which support projects like El Cuervo Chico.