Solar energy at the curing house: the same sun that cures our ham

At our curing house in Castilla y León we cure the way it was done in the old days: we let the climate (its dry air, its long winters, its distinct summers) do its work in the natural drying rooms. It is a demanding and generous climate at the same time: the León weather station records more than 2,600 hours of sunshine a year. In 2022 we decided to make that sun work twice for us, and installed a photovoltaic plant with an output of 72 kW at our curing house.

Why a curing house and a solar plant get on so well

It is no coincidence. The same continental climate (dry, bright, with clear skies) that allows slow, natural curing is also an excellent climate for generating electricity from the sun. Natural curing is, in itself, a restrained way of working: making use of the air and the seasons instead of forcing cold and heat all year round. Solar self-consumption completes that circle: part of the energy the curing house needs comes from the very roof under which the pieces rest.

What the installation contributes

• 72 kW of installed capacity at our curing house, up and running since 2022.
• Estimated output of around 100-110 MWh a year, according to the European Commission's PVGIS tool for our area.
• The equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of around 30 households.
• More than 10 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent avoided every year, using the emission factors published by Red Eléctrica.

The production and savings figures are estimates (they depend on the sunshine each year and on how the electricity grid develops) and we would rather underestimate them than embellish them. The one figure beyond doubt is the commitment: green energy is part of how we understand our craft.

The climate that cures our pieces is the same one that now powers them.

Curing slowly, consuming better

This installation does not change the essentials (the ham is still made with salt, air and time), but it does change what lies behind it: every month in the cellar, every season in the curing house, places a little less burden on the environment that gives us our climate. It is our way of looking after what looks after us.