ITER

Since our creation in 1990, we have focused our work on technological development and innovation, researching and developing new materials, processes, and technologies, with the aim of contributing to the sustainable development of the island of Tenerife and improving its competitiveness. From a technological point of view, we have evolved in response to a context where activities are developed by multidisciplinary teams, and where the demands and expectations of society are increasing. For this reason, due to the fact that in recent years the New Information and Communication Technologies have acquired greater relevance in society, our activities in this field have grown exponentially.

We have actively participated in various European programs, having developed more than 200 R projects with partners from most European regions. In turn, we have acted as technological and scientific advisors to numerous organizations, such as the European Commission, the Cabildo de Tenerife, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID) and numerous governments and international institutions. In recent years, aware of the importance of the Canary Islands as a tricontinental platform between Europe, America and Africa, we have carried out numerous international projects aimed at technology transfer and development cooperation, exporting know-how to other countries and archipelagos.

In 1990 we inaugurated our first wind platform, a 1.05 MW facility designed to study the operation and performance of different wind turbines. Since then, we have installed a total of 13 MW of wind energy and 41 MW of photovoltaic energy, being responsible for the installation of 35% of the total installed renewable energy capacity on the island of Tenerife. In addition to these facilities, there are other infrastructures that have been developed over the years to support and promote our R activities, such as the D-ALiX High Availability Data Processing Center, the Wind Tunnel for Civil Testing, the CCG-ITER Generation Control Center, and the Photovoltaic (SiCellLab), Chemistry and Isotopes of Gases and Groundwater, and Electronics laboratories.

On the other hand, with the aim that both the population of the island of Tenerife and its visitors are not unaware of our research and projects, we pay special attention to dissemination, education and social awareness. Examples of this are our dissemination facilities, made up of the Bioclimatic Houses Urbanization, the Renewable Energy Walk and our Visitor Center, which receive more than 10,000 visitors annually.

The initial idea of the Cabildo de Tenerife was to promote the creation of an entity dedicated to R that would later be able to self-finance itself to maintain its activity. We have achieved this objective, consolidating and growing with our own resources, obtained through the sale of the energy produced in the wind farms and photovoltaic plants, the realization of R projects and the provision of consulting and engineering services.

During these 25 years we have not only grown in facilities and personnel but we have also branched out, forming the ITER Group, a group of entities dedicated to R, which has a multidisciplinary team of more than 200 professionals.