CT leads the development of the SCADA system for the Renopool solar farm.

CT has been selected to develop and implement the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system for the new Renopool solar farm, one of the most significant renewable energy initiatives driven by Plenitude. The farm, located in Badajoz, Extremadura, will have a capacity of 330 MW and will be built with the support of OHLA, Sacyr, and Sarpel, becoming Plenitude’s largest photovoltaic project in the world. The construction will use the best available technologies, including bifacial modules, solar tracking structures, and central inverters, and is expected to be completed by 2025.

CT will be responsible for developing the SCADA system for four of the seven photovoltaic plants that will make up the farm, with a total of 200 MW. The SCADA project developed by CT includes all essential elements for the operation and monitoring of the solar farm. From the solar panel inverters to the control units that centralise the data, including communication systems, all the necessary data to manage the plant is concentrated on a single server. “We receive all the data on our server and display it in a PCVue SCADA application, where the operator has all the information needed to efficiently maintain and operate the plant”, explains Francisco Javier González, SCADA and Telecontrol Project Manager at CT.

A key system for plant efficiency and control

The SCADA system is essential for the operability of any power generation plant. In this case, it allows the management of signals from all the plant’s inverters, ensuring efficient control of production. The system provides the operator with access to alarms, setpoints, production logs, and reports that allow the optimisation of all processes and compliance with the strict requirements of the grid operator, in this case, Red Eléctrica de España (REE).

“Energy cannot be fed into the grid without a SCADA system that follows the grid operator’s commands, as it could overload it. Our system ensures that the plant operates within the established parameters, as well as enabling predictive calculations and automatic regulation of the inverters through the Power Plant Controller (PPC)”, explains Francisco Javier González.

Technical collaboration with the Leadernet Group

CT is not alone in this ambitious project. The company has the support of the Leadernet Group, which is responsible for all the communications infrastructure and civil works necessary for the proper functioning of the system. “We have been collaborating with Leadernet for several years in the development of photovoltaic plants. They are responsible for the installation of control units, control cabinets, and distribution panels, as well as fibre optic channels and weather station towers”, adds Javier.

Technical challenges and quality assurance

The development of the SCADA for Renopool posed a technical challenge, especially due to the integration of new inverters and solar trackers, which required specific coding for the signal map. However, thanks to CT’s extensive experience in this type of project, the challenges were effectively overcome. The contract also includes a warranty period to ensure the correct functioning of the system after commissioning, providing support in the first months of operation.

The Renopool solar farm, which will come into operation in the coming months, will be a key project in the renewable energy sector in Spain, and the SCADA system developed by CT will play a crucial role in optimising its performance and efficiently integrating its energy into the national grid.

CT continues to demonstrate its leadership and commitment to innovation in the energy sector, collaborating on projects that drive the country’s sustainable future.