Renalfa and Eurowind Open 242 MW Solar-Storage Park in Bulgaria

Renalfa IPP and Eurowind Energy have inaugurated the Tenevo Hybrid Park in south-eastern Bulgaria, combining 242 MWp of solar capacity with 311 MW/773 MWh of battery energy storage in one of Europe’s largest hybrid renewable energy complexes. The project is expected to generate around 332 GWh of clean electricity annually and is backed by financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Raiffeisen Bank International, with support from the European Union’s InvestEU programme. More than 250 MW of wind capacity is also planned, with total investment across all phases expected to exceed €500 million.

 

Why 773 MWh of Storage Changes the Role of the Solar Project

 

The scale of the battery system is central to how Tenevo is designed to operate. Solar generation is concentrated during daylight hours and varies with weather conditions, while the 773 MWh storage system gives the project greater flexibility over when electricity can be supplied to the grid.

Renalfa and Eurowind Energy are using this combination to make more effective use of the available grid connection rather than developing the solar and storage assets independently. The developers describe the strategy as hybridisation, with storage intended to support grid resilience and allow a larger amount of renewable generation to be integrated into Bulgaria’s electricity system.

This also changes the role of the site from a conventional solar development. Battery capacity can store electricity when solar production is high and provide greater flexibility around periods when generation and electricity demand do not align. The companies describe Tenevo as a step towards a more dispatchable renewable energy asset, although its performance at operating scale will ultimately determine how much flexibility the combined system can provide.

 

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A Shared Grid Connection Is Central to Tenevo’s Expansion

 

The project has been built around a strategy of maximising the capacity available through its grid connection. The 242 MWp photovoltaic plant and first phase of battery storage have been operational since 2025, while the full complex now brings battery capacity to 311 MW with 773 MWh of storage.

The next planned stage would add more than 250 MW of wind generation. Combining solar, batteries and eventually wind at the same complex could allow the assets to complement each other, since solar and wind generation do not necessarily peak at the same time, while batteries provide another layer of flexibility.

That makes the grid connection itself an important part of the project economics. In markets where connecting new renewable projects can be constrained by available network capacity, adding different generation and storage technologies behind an existing connection can increase the amount of infrastructure that can be developed without treating each asset as a completely separate project.

 

Bank Financing Shows Institutional Support for the Hybrid Model

 

The financing structure also sets Tenevo apart from a smaller demonstration project. EBRD is providing €50 million and Raiffeisen Bank International €53 million for the photovoltaic component, while a further €60 million financing package for the second phase of battery storage is expected to be signed shortly.

Tenevo is also among the first projects in Bulgaria to benefit from a guarantee under the European Union’s InvestEU programme. The involvement of two large financial institutions alongside the EU guarantee structure provides an example of commercial and development finance being used together for utility-scale renewable generation and storage.

Total investment across the planned phases is expected to exceed €500 million. That figure includes the future expansion of the site and shows that the current solar and battery assets are part of a larger energy platform rather than the final configuration of the project.

 

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Wind Could Turn Tenevo Into a Larger Multi-Technology Energy Hub

 

The planned addition of more than 250 MW of wind capacity will be the next major test of the hybrid model. If completed, Tenevo would combine three technologies with different operating characteristics: daytime solar generation, variable wind generation and battery storage capable of shifting electricity across different periods.

The project’s location adds another dimension. Tenevo sits in south-eastern Bulgaria next to a coal region undergoing economic transition, linking the investment to the country’s wider shift in power generation and regional infrastructure.

Ivo Prokopiev, founder and chief executive of Renalfa Solarpro Group, described Tenevo as the first European example of a dispatchable renewable asset at this scale. Jens Rasmussen, founder and CEO of Eurowind Energy, said the planned wind expansion reflects the companies’ intention to continue developing the site and investing in Bulgaria’s renewable energy market.

 

The Planned Wind Phase Will Test the Full Hybrid Model

 

Tenevo already has operating solar and battery assets, but the planned wind capacity will determine how far the developers can take the shared-infrastructure approach. Adding more than 250 MW of wind while maintaining effective use of the grid connection would turn the site into a much broader test of how generation and storage technologies can be combined at utility scale.

The other measure will be operating performance. The project’s significance will depend on how effectively its 773 MWh battery system can manage renewable generation, support grid flexibility and allow the site to use its connection more efficiently as additional capacity is added.