News
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24/05/2018Iberdrola inaugura la nueva iluminación interior del Museo del Ejército, en Toledo El presidente de Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, ha asistido hoy a la inauguración de la nueva iluminación interior del Museo del Ejército, en Toledo, en la que ha estado acompañado por la ministra de Defensa, María Dolores de Cospedal, y por el director del Museo, el general de brigada Antonio Rajo. Esta instalación es fruto de una labor completa de renovación del sistema lumínico del Museo, tanto de las distintas salas como de los soportes y las obras expuestas, en el marco del programa de iluminaciones de edificios singulares que desarrolla Iberdrola. En el transcurso de su intervención, Ignacio Galán ha destacado que “este trabajo da testimonio de la importancia de la luz como elemento esencial de la narrativa de las piezas expuestas”. Además, ha subrayado: “Con esta colaboración esperamos contribuir a una mejor difusión de la historia militar de nuestro país. Conocer las aportaciones que una institución tan ejemplar como el Ejército ha realizado, a lo largo de los años, en favor del progreso social, científico y cultural de España, así como a su internacionalización y prestigio mundial, es imprescindible para entender nuestra propia historia y prepararnos para un futuro mejor”. Iberdrola ha financiado la totalidad del proyecto, al que ha destinado 80.000 euros, y que ha sido desarrollado por el personal del Museo y ha supuesto la instalación de 350 focos en las salas, más de 2.000 lámparas que iluminan las 700 vitrinas y 40 apliques para cuadros. Las luminarias de tecnología LED seleccionadas optimizan el índice de reproducción cromática de las obras, con lo que se consigue una mejora sustancial tanto en la visualización como en la conservación de los fondos expuestos. Además, se ha renovado el sistema de control y seguridad, haciendo más fiable el sistema de iluminación en su conjunto. Por otro lado, la nueva iluminación consigue mejorar la eficiencia energética y evitar la emisión de más de 100 toneladas de CO2 a la atmósfera, además de reducir el gasto energético del Museo del Ejército en cerca de 35.000 euros anuales. “Esta iniciativa está en plena sintonía con nuestra condición de referente mundial en el ámbito de la protección medioambiental, que proviene del firme compromiso de Iberdrola con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible integrados en nuestra estrategia como parte de nuestro dividendo social”, ha recalcado Ignacio Galán. Iberdrola, con las Fuerzas Armadas Ignacio Galán ha recordado la estrecha colaboración que mantiene Iberdrola con el Ministerio de Defensa. Esta unión se materializa en la organización de actividades formativas y simulacros con diferentes unidades militares en instalaciones de la compañía, con el objetivo de mejorar la respuesta ante situaciones que entrañen riesgo para las personas. Además, en el marco del acuerdo alcanzado con el Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional, Iberdrola participa en la organización de cursos y seminarios conjuntos sobre ámbitos como el cambio climático, el fomento del papel de la mujer o la respuesta ante el desafío de la ciberseguridad. Ignacio Galán también ha querido agradecer al Museo del Ejército las obras cedidas a la exposición Memorias recobradas. España, Nueva Orleans y el apoyo a la Revolución Norteamericana, organizada por Iberdrola y que se expone actualmente en el Estado de Luisiana. READ MORE
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23/05/2018Ignacio Galán ratified Iberdrola’s intention to become the utility of the future: “Large companies must be innovative or go out of business” At a conference held at the San Agustín de Guadalix Corporate Campus, Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galán explained the company's commitment to universities as the basis for promoting entrepreneurship. The aim is to strengthen links between business and universities through knowledge transfer and by attracting young talent, through, among other initiatives: research chairs, R&D&i projects, grants and internships for students, internal training for employees and support for young entrepreneurs. Galán was accompanied by representatives from universities that cooperate with Iberdrola: the University of Salamanca, the Pontificia Comillas University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Strathclyde and the Monterrey Institute of Technology. During his speech, as well as thanking the universities for their support and recognising the importance of their work as drivers of talent, Ignacio Galán ratified the company's desire to continue to establish its role as the utility of the future. In this regard, the Group's chairman stressed the importance of innovation as "a seed for social and economic progress" adding: “I would go so far as to say that, in the near future, large companies will either innovate or go out of business”. “Few sectors better reflect this reality than the electricity sector, which is fully involved in energy transition, enabling us to improve supply security, sustainability and competitiveness at a pace that no one could have foreseen", explained Galán. Iberdrola, ranked among the world's top four investors in R&D+i Our company, which according to the European Commission is the most innovative Spanish 'utility' and the third in Europe, invested €246 million in R&D&i in 2017, 17% more than the previous year. This makes us one of the top four companies in the world in terms of investment in innovation. The company sees innovation as the main tool for guaranteeing sustainability, efficiency and competitiveness. It has also been decisive in the success of the transformation towards the clean-energy-based model introduced in 2001, which has made us a world leader in wind power. During the event, Galán also presented awards to young entrepreneurs who have developed disruptive projects for the energy sector. These include the Ecomapp, an app developed by students from Pontificia Comillas University and Iberdrola scholarship holders that encompasses all the electric mobility platforms, the ICAI Speed Club , an electric racing team managed by students from ICAI and ICADE with the aim of designing and building an electric racing car and motorcycle, and the Future project, in which students from the Monterrey Institute of Technology have developed a network of city farms for sustainable farming managed with blockchain technology. Innoday, Iberdrola’s innovation fair On the same day, Ignacio Galán also officially opened the first Innoday, the group’s innovation fair. Iberdrola's different business areas met with suppliers and startups from five countries, creating a meeting point for presenting solutions for tackling the challenges facing the energy sector. More than 600 Innoday attendees were able to see first-hand how, for example, Iberdrola uses drones to service wind turbines and get a first hand look at how an electric car works. They also made a virtual visit to the Wikinger offshore wind farm, which the company operates in the waters of the German Baltic Sea, and saw what is inside a nuclear power plant like the one in Cofrentes. There was also an opportunity to see new customer-focused products, such as Energy Wallet, which allows customers to purchase energy packages. In addition, some of Iberdrola's suppliers, such as IBM, Ingeteam and Atlas Innovative Engineering, showed how they are responding to the challenges faced by their operations in the energy sector. This collaborative work with partners is enabling the group to maintain its leadership at the technological cutting edge of the energy sector. "Innovation allows us to produce more and better energy for our customers, and also enables us to generate wealth and employment through procurement and investment," concluded the chairman of Iberdrola. READ MORE
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23/05/2018Iberdrola enters the U.S. offshore wind market for the first time with an 800 megawatt macro-project READ MORE
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23/05/2018Ignacio Galán talks about innovation, reliability and future challenges on Onda Cero READ MORE
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22/05/2018Iberdrola and Arbórea Intellbird launch a new digital power line inspection system Iberdrola and Arbórea Intellbird presented their latest technological development designed to improve power line inspection procedures at the Sierra de Dueña wind farm this morning. Using the Arachnocopter, a drone that has revolutionised wind turbine blade inspections, the programme uses “Power Grids” software on wind farm evacuation lines, digitalising assets and enabling more convenient, reliable inspections. It also provides the application with data for systems analysis based on artificial intelligence and vision to detect and measure hidden structural problems like corrosion, hot spots and other critical faults. The new Arachnocoper, able to fly longer distances over electric power lines, combined with the new software, also designed by the Salamanca company, makes wind farm maintenance inspections more efficient, reduces downtime and achieves far superior results than traditional inspection methods. The resulting very high resolution digital maps of the lines are processed and made available to Iberdrola Renewables through the software app and cloud report, facilitating automated, smart, fault management. The associated Power-eye mobile app introduces augmented reality that enables repairers to find faults identified in the lines merely by looking at the line with a simple mobile phone. This innovative, digitally-based asset inspection system permits centralised strategic decision-taking and generates efficient control with a predictive approach to faults. These first experimental experiences on Iberdrola Renewables power lines will provide valuable data for determining the viability of a new inspection protocol. One essential factor for Iberdrola is the consequential risk reduction, since this method obviates the need for staff to climb up masts to perform inspections. What is more, the new digital inspection scheme will provide more reliable asset control, a philosophy aligned with Iberdrola’s continuous service improvement policy. This innovative initiative has been carried out experimentally at the flagship Sierra de Dueña wind farm, approximately 40 kilometres from Salamanca. This Iberdrola wind farm has capacity of 31.5 megawatts (MW) and is located in the municipal areas of Pedrosillo de los Aires, Frades de la Sierra, Las Veguillas and Membribe de la Sierra. The farm consists of 37 wind turbines and has an electricity evacuation substation. Improved blade inspection process The Salamanca company, in collaboration with the Iberdrola Renewables Operation and Maintenance Division, has also made some significant improvements to the blade inspection process. It uses algorithms to associate defective blades with failure modes and ageing curves, facilitating diagnosis to correct errors more quickly. The software is ideal for detecting serious internal structural issues in the early stages, helping Iberdrola to design and implement new, safer, less costly repair at height procedures, identifying blades in bad condition and repairing them more cheaply. Arbórea, a pioneer in drone pilot training in Spain and in industrial inspection with new technologies, is immersed in a more efficient supervision model, which provides a more efficient way of checking all power lines at the same time, protecting inspectors from the risk of working at heights by using the Arachnocopter, which during a seven-minute flight can generate an X-ray of the inside of a wind turbine blade, detect damage and automatically quantify the extent. During the last two years, young engineers at Arbórea have performed thorough audits on more than 1,200 Iberdrola blades in Spain and Mexico. The results underline the value of combining the Arachnocopter and its associated software. Arbórea has started teaching technicians in the Iberdrola Renewables area to use the “Web Blade” blade analysis software platform, and the new “Power Grids” line management software on the Iberdrola Campus in San Agustín de Guadalix. The project will enable Iberdrola to significantly reduce the time spent inspecting machines installed on wind farms while improving reliability, which signifies an important advance in operation and maintenance work, one of the wind power sector’s current priorities. Investment in Arbórea Intellbird IBERDROLA and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), a body attached to the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, signed an agreement with Arbórea Intellbird, S.L. in 2014, whereby both organisations invested 500,000 euros. This was the first investment in the Energy and Environment area under the INNVIERTE programme, with Iberdrola acquiring a holding in Arbórea through the Perseo fund, and the CDTI, with the priority objective of driving development of this company and establishing it within the sector. Arbórea Intellbird, S.L. is based on the Science Park at Salamanca University. It specialises in manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles for professional uses, among which are power and distribution infrastructure inspections. This foray is part of Iberdrola’s commitment to fostering Spanish entrepreneurship and industry, for which it has the €70-million PERSEO programme to support technology-based entrepreneurs and companies. Iberdrola has already invested €50 million in technology start-ups through this initiative since 2008, to ensure the sustainability of its energy model in the future. Iberdrola shows its commitment to R&D&i during its first Innoday The company chaired by Salamanca native Ignacio Galán is holding its first Innoday seminar on 23 May on the corporate campus in San Agustín del Guadalix (Madrid), a get-together for learning about the innovative initiatives that are transforming the energy sector, enabling knowledge transfer and attracting young talent to the energy sector. Under Iberdrola’s overarching commitment to innovation, which meant investments of €246 million in 2017 alone (17% more than the previous year and an increase of 237% over the last ten years), members of the company team, universities, suppliers, start-ups like Árborea and public administrations took part in a seminar that focused on two areas: the presentation of the Iberdrola Universities Programme and the Innovation Fair. READ MORE
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18/05/2018Iberdrola is launching the call for funding applications to its 2019 Social Programme to support vulnerable groups Iberdrola, through its Foundation in Spain, has launched the call for applications to its 2019 Social Programme, which aims to promote the comprehensive development of the most vulnerable groups in the territories in which the company operates, with special attention on children, adolescents and women, by collaborating in social projects. A committee of experts of the Fundación Iberdrola España selects around 30 social projects that have to be aligned with specific objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations agenda 2030, as part of its business strategy. Specifically, these goals are: * Goal no. 1 (no poverty) It will therefore support projects aimed at overcoming poverty and social exclusion, providing access to basic needs, promoting educational support and the enjoyment of leisure and free time, as well as access to employment. * Goal number 10 (reduction of inequality), goal number 4 (quality education) and goal number 5 (gender equality). In order to meet these goals, initiatives will be supported that contribute to the personal autonomy and the independence of people with disabilities, mainly by supporting occupational centres that promote comprehensive training processes. This enables specialised training to promote the social skills and lessons required for inclusion in the regular employment market. * Goal no. 3 (good health and well-being) Goal 3 (health and well-being), involves working on improving the quality of life of people suffering from serious diseases by meeting their daily needs and providing family support. Special attention is paid to initiatives focusing on people suffering from addiction and to provide children with leisure opportunities. This new call has a budget of one million euros and the decisions on the applications will be made in October. It is open to private non-profit institutions that are based and carrying out their activities in Spain, engaged in activities that have been declared to be of public utility, and pursuing aims that are in the public interest. Special consideration will be given to entities that publish relevant information consistent with Iberdrola's principles of transparency, good governance and accountability. Social entities applying must submit their proposals by 18 June 2018, by means of an online form available from the foundation website ( www.fundacioniberdrolaespana.org ), where they can also consult the terms and conditions of the call for applications. Iberdrola, supporting society Iberdrola, through its Social Programme, has already allocated over 8 million euros to social initiatives in Spain that have benefited a total of 270,000 people. Since this plan was launched in 2010, we have promoted over 300 projects that have contributed to social inclusion, especially that of children, young people and women in vulnerable situations. All these actions, which fall within the framework of Iberdrola's commitment to the creation of value in the regions where it operates, have allowed the creation of 800 jobs and the participation of 2,000 volunteers. Fundación Iberdrola España also focuses its activities on training and research in the field of energy, through scholarship programmes and grants aimed at young people, biodiversity projects protecting the environment, and cultural development, centred on caring for and maintaining cultural and artistic treasures. READ MORE
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16/05/2018Comienza el IX CONGRESO INVESTIGA I+D+i en el que cien jóvenes investigadores de 4º de la ESO comparten sus conocimientos con científicos profesionales Madrid, 16 de mayo de 2018. Un grupo de 100 jóvenes investigadores de 15 y 16 años procedentes de 20 centros educativos de toda España celebran en Madrid el próximo fin de semana, el Congreso Investiga I+D+i de la Fundación San Patricio e Iberdrola, en el que comparten sus conocimientos con científicos profesionales para conocer más de cerca la importancia de su trabajo. Son alumnos de 4º de Enseñanza Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO), que han destacado por sus proyectos de investigación en alguna de las cinco áreas temáticas en las que se ha dividido el congreso este año: longevidad eterna; generación distribuida; basura espacial; nanotecnología y salud; y prótesis cibernéticas. Se trata de una iniciativa organizada por la Fundación San Patricio, en colaboración con el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) e Iberdrola. En las nueve ediciones celebradas hasta ahora, el programa Investiga I+D+i ha facilitado una aproximación desde el colegio al mundo de la ciencia y la tecnología a más de 10.000 jóvenes de toda España. El congreso será inaugurado el próximo viernes 18 de mayo en la sede del CSIC, en un acto presidido por Marina Villegas Gracia, Directora de la Agencia Estatal de Investigación, Pedro Serena, Delegado Institucional del CSIC en la Comunidad de Madrid, Borja Aguilar, Director de la Fundación San Patricio y Agustín Delgado, director de Innovación, Sostenibilidad y Calidad de Iberdrola. Sobre el Programa Investiga I+D+i Más de 10.000 jóvenes de 16 años de colegios e institutos de toda España se han acercado al mundo de la investigación gracias al programa INVESTIGA I+D+i. El programa acerca al mundo investigador profundizando sobre temas científico-técnicos de actualidad de una forma amena, usando técnicas de “peer learning” y trabajo en equipo asesorados por científicos expertos de cada área. Asimismo permite colaborar en importantes centros de investigación españoles y conocer empresas innovadoras y laboratorios de investigación de referencia internacional. Fomenta en los estudiantes el interés por la investigación, la innovación, la ciencia y la tecnología, como forma de aumentar la motivación hacia sus estudios futuros, así como dotarles de un mayor número de herramientas que les ayuden a la toma de decisiones en cuanto a las opciones de bachillerato y de la posterior carrera universitaria que desean elegir. El programa dota a los participantes de una amplia visión de la ciencia como solución imprescindible ante futuros retos sociales, y además promueve el conocimiento del trabajo científico y tecnológico desarrollado en España. Dirigido a estudiantes de 4º de ESO de todos los centros docentes del ámbito nacional en una primera fase, y con una participación de centros europeos en la fase internacional al cierre de cada edición. El programa Investiga I+D+i ha sido galardonado con el premio a la mejor iniciativa que educa en valores y trabajo en equipo 2014, un reconocimiento a la constante labor educativa desarrollada a través del programa. Cuenta asimismo con la colaboración de las principales instituciones públicas de investigación en España. Sobre Fundación San Patricio Entidad sin ánimo de lucro constituida el 11 de noviembre de 1999, cuya misión es la de desarrollar programas que faciliten a los centros docentes tanto públicos como privados, la posibilidad de abrir sus aulas a nuevas experiencias de aprendizaje que complementen la formación académica con una sólida educación en valores. www.fundacionsanpatricio.org Sobre Iberdrola Iberdrola es una compañía privada de ámbito global nacida hace más de 150 años, durante los que ha trabajado al servicio del desarrollo energético, la garantía de suministro, la calidad y la innovación. Gracias al fuerte proceso de crecimiento e internacionalización emprendido a partir del año 2001, se ha convertido en un líder mundial en energías limpias y ya es una de las primeras eléctricas del mundo por capitalización bursátil, con más de 34.000 empleados, que da servicio a 100 millones de personas. READ MORE
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16/05/2018The Spanish city of Salamanca will host the first Ibero-American Conference on the UN Sustainable Development Goals from 27 to 29 June Salamanca, 16 May, 2018.- Coinciding with the 800th anniversary of its university, the city of Salamanca will be the venue for the first Ibero-American Conference on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which will be held from 27 to 29 June and be attended by more than 300 international participants. Organised by Salamanca University, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and Iberdrola, the upcoming Conference aims to become a benchmark Ibero-American forum for discussing the immediate work and future steps needed to achieve the UN sustainable development goals. “Significant players from a wide range of fields and countries – affirms Victoria Muriel, Economics Professor at Salamanca University and Chairwoman of the Conference’s Organising Committee – are going to meet in Salamanca to envision the future for subjects as significant as education for social transformation, solutions to mitigate climate change, sustainable life scenarios and the partnership policies required to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030. The Conference is going to be a first step and it will close with the Salamanca Declaration, which we are designing to serve as a route map aimed at proposing the next steps to be taken in the immediate future”. For Carlos Mataix, Director of the Innovation and Technology for Development Centre at the Polytechnic University of Madrid and member of the Organising Committee for the Conference, "this event must serve to finally convince us that it is possible to meet the massive challenges facing our civilisation, because the Sustainable Development Goals are essentially a call for a transformation that requires large doses of creativity". The Conference programme features speakers from fifteen countries. The most noteworthy of these are Saskia Sassen, Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in New York and winner of the 2013 Prince of Asturias Prize for Sociology; Augusto Barrera, a member of parliament from Ecuador and former Mayor of Quito; and Carlos Sallé, Director of Energy Policies and Climate Change with the Iberdrola Group. The central topics at the Conference are how to create innovative educational standards designed to meet the challenges of the future and to adapt to different local contexts; how we can mitigate the effects of climate change and progress towards a low-carbon economic model in which energy will play a crucial role; how we can innovate to create sustainable life scenarios within which we make the ideal of human development a reality; and how to invest in new institutional agreements, in education, in the adaptation of cultures, etc. with a high medium- and long-term return. Other topics to be dealt with will include gender equality, the reduction of inequalities, the task of teaching, reducing the consumption of raw materials, water and energy and promoting waste reuse and the circular economy. Institutional paragraph on Salamanca University Throughout 2018, the University of Salamanca is celebrating its eighth centenary. The history of Salamanca University is also that of higher education in Spanish. Its title of ‘alma mater’ of Ibero-American universities and dean of Spanish universities has its origin in its creation in 1218. After this time it quickly began to play a key role in the development and implementation of university studies and scientific advance. However, it also established itself as a centre for debate and reflection on aspects as important as the nature of power, human rights and international conflicts. Salamanca University has centres dedicated to the strengthening of academic and cultural links with other countries and cultures such as the Centre for Brazilian Studies and the Institute for Ibero-American Studies. Institutional paragraph on the Polytechnic University of Madrid The Polytechnic University of Madrid is participating in this conference through its Innovation and Technology for Development Centre (itdUPM), an inter-disciplinary space that brings together different lines of research in technology and sustainable development and which works in collaboration with companies, civil society and public administrations to tackle the challenges of sustainability and suggest new solutions. About Iberdrola Iberdrola is a global private sector company that has, since its creation over 150 years ago, worked to serve energy advancement, security of supply, quality and innovation. Thanks to a strong growth and internationalisation process that began in 2001, the company has become a world leader in clean energy and it is now one of the world's top five electricity utilities by market capitalisation, with over 34,000 employees providing services to 100 million people. The Iberdrola Group has integrated the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations for 2030 into its strategy. The company is focusing its efforts on goal 7 and 13 - affordable and non-polluting energy and climate action, respectively - although it contributes directly or indirectly to compliance with all the other SDGs. READ MORE
