Collaborative innovation in Spain

Collaborative innovation, a tool to push forward the energy transition in Spain

As the world faces complex challenges such as energy transition, climate change and digitalisation, collaborative innovation is positioned as a key driver for positive and sustainable impact.

What is collaborative innovation in Spain? 

According to the World Economic Forum, collaborative innovation is considered a driver of business growth based on team synergy. Through this practice, companies, institutions and other entities work together to develop new ideas, products or processes, gaining access to new technologies, markets and expertise, creating value not only for the companies involved, but also for society at large.

The different types of collaborative innovation in Spain

Collaborative innovation takes many forms, from opening up processes to the public to strategic partnerships. Several of them are highlighted below:

• Open innovation: The innovation process is opened up to anyone, allowing ideas to come from a variety of sources.

• Co-creation: This is the collaboration between globally distributed actors to create products or services.

• Strategic Alliances: Companies from different industries collaborate to create innovative solutions that they could not develop on their own.

• Collaboration: Different actors contribute to a common project, each responsible for different stages or components.

Main collaborative innovation projects in Spain

Iberdrola España is committed to leading innovation within the power industry, developing solutions that have a positive impact on society and the environment. Below are some of the most outstanding of them.

Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Energy Transition - IA4TES Project 

The IA4TES initiative seeks to use artificial intelligence to promote the transition to sustainable energy. The project’s main objective is to investigate how artificial intelligence technologies can offer solutions to the power sector, adapting to the new paradigm of the electricity system.

BEFLEX Project - Solutions to increase the electricity system’s flexibility  

The BeFlex project, financed by the European Commission and coordinated by our distributor i-DE, aims to boost the participation of "prosumers" in generating power from renewable sources. In this way, BeFlex seeks to increase the flexibility of the European electricity system as a whole, a key driver for making much more efficient use of electricity grids viable.

KANTAURIBAI Project - Biodiversity conservation in the Bay of Biscay

The Kantauribai project supported by Iberdrola España, focuses on the ecological restoration of the rivers that flow into the Bay of Biscay, improving the conservation of species and habitats. The rivers Bidasoa, Oria, Urumea, Adour and their tributaries are included in the Natura 2000 Network. Iberdrola España is the only private energy company involved in this initiative, which is supported by public entities such as the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the Basque Water Agency.  

MICROFLEX Project - Development of new technologies for flexibility in the energy distribution grid

Making the distribution grid flexible is a key step in the transition to a green and 100% renewable economy. Microflex proposes to investigate flexible technologies for smart energy management, such as storage, smart grids and local renewable energy. Supported by the Government of Navarra and in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER) and the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub, this project will be implemented in the municipality of Valcarlos, a complex environment due to its geography, climate and the structural limitations of a grid bordering France, making it the ideal location to develop innovative flexibility solutions. The results will improve the quality of the electricity supply, maximise the possibilities of exploiting storage systems and the autonomy of microgrids in island mode and strengthen i-DE's collaboration with the innovation ecosystem of Navarre and the local industrial fabric.

SHERPA Project - New solutions to improve hydropower plants’ operational efficiency

The Sherpa project seeks to extend and adapt the operating range of hydropower plants to include flows below the technical minimum without affecting their useful life, economic viability or environmental and social impact.

ECLIPSE Project - Energy Efficiency in the Development of Energy Consumer Applications

Eclipse is an initiative that aims to implement and demonstrate the Common European Reference Framework (CERF) for energy consumer applications in the European Union. It enables voluntary energy consumption reduction and load shifting through recommendations, strategies and incentives. The project, funded by the EU Digital Programme, defines rules for the development of new applications and the improvement of existing ones, providing consumers with clear and useful information on energy savings and their benefits.

AVANHID Project - Development and optimisation of hydroelectric generation systems

The AVANHID project aims to develop and optimise advanced hydroelectric generation systems to improve their technical and economic integration with the Spanish electricity system. The consortium will focus on creating models to operate and generate energy with greater flexibility in hydroelectric power plants, which will also act as storage systems.

DEFINER Project - Boosting energy demand flexibility

The DEFINER project seeks to unlock the potential of energy demand flexibility, facilitating its integration into the market to maximise the use of renewable energy and reduce CO₂ emissions. Its main goal is to develop tools to analyse and integrate demand resources, especially hydrogen, so that they can play a crucial role in the electricity system of the future.

HYDROSES Project - Solutions to optimise pumped storage energy systems 

The main objective of the HYDROSES project is to increase the energy storage capacity in pumped storage systems (PHS), which will allow for greater integration of renewable energies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This will be achieved by improving and modifying the reversible turbines in PSS installations, optimising their reliability, flexibility and performance in both generation and pumping. 

ATMOSPHERE Project - Optimising green hydrogen plants’ value chains

ATMOSPHERE focuses on researching new technologies for key equipment in green hydrogen generation plants. It aims to improve the entire value chain to achieve significant reductions in the investment and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of these plants.