Heavy Snow Halves Output at Andorra's Grau Roig Solar Park

Heavy snowfall in Andorra during January and February has significantly reduced output from the Grau Roig photovoltaic park, with production dropping to less than half of January 2025 levels. The trend is expected to continue through February.

Solar panels at the mountaintop facility in the Encamp parish have been blanketed by snow for extended periods, preventing them from operating effectively. While light snow cover allows the equipment to function, the thick accumulations from recent storms—particularly over the past weekend—have rendered the panels useless. FEDA, Andorra's main electricity provider, notes that sunny days ahead should gradually melt the snow.

Company officials emphasise that these disruptions were fully accounted for in the park's business plan. Projections included downtime from snow, rain, or wind, and automatic or manual cleaning systems were considered but rejected due to high costs and safety risks. Overall production remains within expected parameters given the weather.

Neither 2024 nor 2025 saw snowfall as intense as this winter's early 2026 episodes, but any shortfall falls within pre-calculated ranges.

Last year, the Grau Roig park generated 1,429,457 kWh—or about 1.4 GWh—equivalent to roughly 0.2% of Andorra's annual electricity consumption of 580 GWh. Within FEDA's total output of around 115 GWh, it accounted for approximately 1.3%. The spring thaw is likely to boost hydroelectric generation, offsetting current photovoltaic losses.