IBERDROLA invested €145 million in the field of Research and Development (R&D) in 2013, a 10% increase on the previous financial year.
Most of the investment went to offshore wind power project, smart grids, clean generation and new technologies and business models.
Thanks to this unwavering commitment to remaining at the forefront, the company has become a benchmark in this field and is considered to be the most innovative Spanish utility and the fourth most innovative in Europe, according to the ranking drawn up by the European Commission.
In the field of renewable energies, where the group is a world leader, IBERDROLA set up various offshore projects last year. Some of the most important of these projects include ‘Innpacto Emerge’ and ‘Aqua Ventus’, which focus on the development of floating platforms in deep waters, ‘Cenit Azimut’ and ‘EERA Dtoc’, geared towards optimising the development of offshore wind farms, the ‘Low Impact’ initiative, which aims to promote gravity foundations for installation at intermediate depth or the ‘Offshore Wind Accelerator’, a special programme run by the UK Carbon Trust to find solutions that allow to reduce the costs and risks associated to this technique.
In the smart grids sector, IBERDROLA has focused on optimising the distribution network, with a special emphasis on occupational safety, environmental aspects and enhancing quality of supply.
All of these initiatives promoted by IBERDROLA are intended to guarantee its efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness with a view to being able to meet the needs and challenges that lie ahead. In this regard, the company has set up ‘IBERDROLA Servicios de Innovación’ (Innovation Services) to manage all its R&D activities at Group level.
Press release, February 24, 2014; Image: gamesa