Construction work has begun in southern Portugal on what is set to be the world’s largest solar power station. The plant near Serpa, 200km (125 miles) south of Lisbon, will produce enough electricity for 8,000 homes when it starts next January. Read more at BBC.
The 11-megawatt solar power plant will cover a 60-hectare (150-acre) southern-facing hillside. The project in the sunny Alentejo region has been developed by Portuguese renewable energy company Catavento, in conjunction with solar polar provider Powerlight and funded by General Electric Energy Financial Services. The project’s initial budget is 58m euro (£40m).
The system, to be made up of 52,000 photovoltaic modules, will use PowerLight’s PowerTracker technology which follows the sun as it moves across the sky throughout the day. The firm say this generates more electricity than conventional fixed-mount systems. The panels will be raised around two metres off the grass which, Catavento’s Piero Dal Maso says, the sheep will take care of.
“The Serpa solar power project, along with other renewable energy initiatives, helps lay the foundation for Portugal’s energy future,” he said. “It should provide energy enough for 8,000 homes. It will save 30 tonnes of CO2 emissions, so that is probably around 1% of domestic consumption of Portugal.
Portugal plans other solar plants to counter a rise in carbon emissions.
