Wallbox factory to get solar, smart energy system under PPA with Iberdrola

Wallbox, a Spanish developer of electric vehicle (EV) chargers, will install solar arrays for on-site consumption and a smart energy management system at its new factory in Barcelona in an effort to develop a nearly zero-energy building (nZEB).

The company said it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Spanish utility Iberdrola SA (BME:IBE) to procure the system's output. Iberdrola acquired a stake in Wallbox after leading EUR-15-million founding round in 2019.

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Solar panels producing 1,500 MWh per year will power Wallbox's facilities and offices, which the company booked under a ten-year lease with the Barcelona Free Trade Zone a month ago. At the time, Wallbox said the space would become an intelligent 4.0 factory.

Installation at the site will start at the end of April. The solar energy system is due to come online early in the second half of the year.

The PPA with Iberdrola covers the production, consumption and reuse of the energy generated at the factory. A bi-directional energy management system will optimise generation, storage and use of the grid. Through regeneration, 75% of the energy consumed in the production process is returned to the internal energy grid for reuse, Wallbox said.

In February 2021, Wallbox launched a pilot vehicle-to-building system at its corporate headquarters in the Barcelona free zone using its own Quasar bi-directional charges and Nissan Leaf EVs. The company said it wants to increase the vehicle fleet and the number of Quasar chargers until achieving full energy supply autonomy.