Alentejo: Two Portraits

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Chronicle - "A Minha Terra Está Triste" - Article published in the "Diario do Alentejo"  in the early 70s, about human desertification.  (via patrimonio89)

   

 Photovoltaic Power Station in  Amareleja (Moura, Alentejo region, Portugal, 2008)  by  mokkikunta

How America can learn from the Clean-Energy success in Portugal

                                                      

Photos by Luis Alves

The New York Times published today an extensive article making reference to the Portuguese success in renewable energies and how Americans can learn from the case: Portugal Gives Itself a Clean-Energy Makeover.

Second the Portuguese newspaper Público the ”New York Times praises the success of the energetic turning in Portugal”

”In Portugal, as in the United States, politicians have sold green energy programs to communities with promises of job creation. Locally, the effect has often proved limited. For example, more than five years ago, the isolated city of Moura became the site of Portugal’s largest solar plant because it “gets the most sun of anywhere in Europe and has lots of useless space,” said José Maria Prazeres Pós-de-Mina, the mayor. 

But while 400 people built the Moura plant, only 20 to 25 work there now, since gathering sunlight requires little human labor. Unemployment remains at 15 percent, the mayor said — though researchers, engineers and foreign delegations frequently visit the town’s new solar research center.”, New York Times.

It´s worth noting that recognition, although there is much work ahead. It is also a good time to remind some articles published here in ”mokkikunta”  on solar power and electric cars.

“Alentejo: Solar Region”

• “Photovoltaic Solar in Portugal” - part 1

• “Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station” - part 2

• “Moura Renewable Energies Project“ - part 3

• The world’s largest photovoltaic power station [PICS] - part 4

• Serpa (Brinches) Photovoltaic Power Station [PICS] - part 5

"Festival Solar" at the Museum of Electricity, in Lisbon

Last weekend, at the Museum of Electricity, in Lisbon, took place the public exhibition "Festival Solar". It was possible to better understand the different forms of energy production, like concentrating solar power (CSP) and photovoltaic (PV) systems.

This initiative also included discussions on solar architecture (“Arquitectura e Sustentabilidade Energética”) and evolution from coal to sun (“Do Carvão ao Sol”).

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The "Festival Solar" is an action in Portugal of “European Solar Days” European project, which is coordinated by the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF) in in close cooperation with the European Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA) and and supported by 24 organisations at national and European level.

The second edition of European Solar Days, a Europe-wide campaign to promote the use of solar energy for production of electricity, heat and cold, is celebrated from 15 to 22 May with more than 500.000 citizens participating in 7.000 events in 15 European countries - Solar PV and Solar Thermal are replacing fossil fuels and nuclear energy in Europe.

Photovoltaic Power Stations in Portugal [PHOTOSET]

Photos by Luis Alves

Photoset of Portugal´s largest photovoltaic power stations (until March), which are located in the Portuguese region of Alentejo.

Click the links below to read the five parts of the article “Alentejo: Solar Region”.


“Alentejo: Solar Region”

• “Photovoltaic Solar in Portugal” - part 1

• “Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station” - part 2

• “Moura Renewable Energies Project“ - part 3

• The world’s largest photovoltaic power station [PICS] - part 4

• Serpa (Brinches) Photovoltaic Power Station [PICS] - part 5

New Wind Power Forecast Project in US

Project began in December and will extend up to September 2010

The US Department of Energy (DoE) invited the Portuguese INESC-Porto (Research Institute of Computer Systems) to develop a new and better platform for wind power forecasting. The project will enable to estimate with high accuracy and less uncertainty the production of wind energy for timelines up to 72 hours (short-term forecasts).

The work is for ANL (Argonne National Laboratory), from the network of Laboratories of the DoE. It began in December and it will extend up to September 2010, seeking to reduce the current forecasts margin of error of around 20 % to about 15 %, according to Vladimiro Miranda, Director of INESC and coordinator of this project. It is a tool that can "minimize the potential risks of the increasing US dependence on renewable energies: blackouts."

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"The work that we will develop will add new features to the models that we have today. What we pledge to do for ANL was a different and more intelligent model. Something different and better than the actual," told the director of INESC, adding that the current wind power forecasting tools already have an anticipation of three days. The challenge now is to reduce the margin of error and do an upgrade of these instruments. By the end of this year the INESC will develop a prototype and will go to comparative tests with real data.

With a climate that ranges between temperate and subtropical and given the local geography, the errors in predicting the wind, second Vladimiro Miranda, can have more serious consequences in the US than in any European country . Thus, the model designed by the Portuguese team of researchers will be used in the unstable US territory to prevent possible power cuts. "Prevention has to do with the need to forecast accurately," notes Miranda. The Project coordinator emphasizes that planning is more important in the US, where there is no hydroelectric alternative (as exists in the Iberian Peninsula, for example) and where, in an emergency due to a failure of a thermal power plant, wind power can be activated in some hours and a nuclear can take days.

"It is expected that the more accurate estimate of the amount of wind in a given location will have a considerable impact on the North American electricity industry, allowing lower price of wind energy in the US. The Horizon Wind Energy, owned by EDP Renováveis, the 4th largest wind energy producer in the world, whose presence in the US is increasingly strong, was invited by ANL (Argonne National Laboratory) to be an observer and a potential provider of real data, " said a press note from INESC.

Despite the low position in the international context with a percentage of production of only 1 %, the US have the faster pace in the development of wind power around the world. Portugal is one of the leaders in this area, occupying the 3rd place (behind Denmark and Spain) in the world ranking of wind energy with a production of about 10 %. According to Vladimiro Miranda, that means one in every ten hours of energy we spend comes from the wind, adding that INESC collaborates in a project to ensure the supply security in the Iberian Peninsula by 2025.

However, despite only reserving 1 % of the energy production for wind, the US already has more capacity than Portugal in terms of absolute values. Therefore, Portugal will export to the U.S. some of the knowledge acquired in this field. "In the field of wind energy Europe is about ten or twelve years ahead of the U.S.," notes the project coordinator of INESC.

Image: Aerial photo of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory, en.wikipedia.org

Sweden Ranks First in Sustainable Society Index 2008

The Sustainable Society Foundation has published its update of the 2006 Sustainable Society Index, which covers 151 countries. The new publication, the SSI-2008 , has been launched December 2008 and integrates for the first time sustainability and quality of life in an understandable way. The SSI is based on public data from scientific research institutes and international organizations.

The world average score is a mere 5.7 on a scale of 0 to 10. The Nordic Region is on the top for sustainable development: Sweden scored 7.02, followed by Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Austria and Iceland. Portugal (6.16) was 25th on the list of 151 countries.

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Top 15 - Sustainable Society Index 2008

1 SWEDEN
2 SWITZERLAND
3 NORWAY
4 FINLAND
5 AUSTRIA
6 ICELAND
7 VIETNAM
8 GEORGIA
9 NEW ZEALAND
10 LATVIA
11 COSTA RICA
12 LITHUANIA
13 NETHERLANDS
14 DENMARK
15 GUYANA
(...)
25 PORTUGAL

Sustainable development is a concept very much discussed and considered important for most of the people. However, it is very difficult to measure in our society. Many indexes have been developed, but until recently there was no index, which comprises all the aspects of a sustainable society, which is simple, clear and transparent and which is adequate for comparison between countries.

The SSI has been built on the solid definition of the Brundtland Commission, with the addition of the third important aspect of freedom:

A sustainable society is a society:

• that meets the needs of the present generation,
• that does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,
• in which each individual has the opportunity to develop himself in freedom, within a well-balanced society and in harmony with its surroundings

(this third aspect is very important to get a clear view of the quality of life in a country, because "without quality of life sustainability makes no sense and quality of life without sustainability has no future").

The framework of the ISS consists of 5 categories (each one with several indicators- the lowest scores are for Consumption of Renewable Energy (3.2) and Waste Recycling (1.7). The highest score is for International Cooperation (9.2))::

I Personal Development
1. Healthy Life
2. Sufficient Food
3. Sufficient to Drink
4. Safe Sanitation
5. Education Opportunities
6. Gender Equality

II Healthy Environment
7. Air Quality
8. Surface Water Quality
9. Land Quality

III Well-balanced Society
10. Good Governance
11. Employment
12. Population Growth
13. Income Distribution
14. Public Debt

IV Sustainable Use of Resources
15. Waste Recycling
16. Use of Renewable Water Resources
17. Consumption of Renewable Energy

V Sustainable World
18. Forest Area
19. Preservation of Biodiversity
20. Emission of Greenhouse Gases
21. Ecological Footprint
22. International Cooperation

Second the report, in the past two years the world made a relatively little progress towards a sustainability society.

Positive aspects:

- The scores of all 6 indicators of the category Personal Development have modestly increased (the largest contribution to this progress comes from Employment and Public Debt, due to a worldwide economy growth during the analyzed period).

Negative aspects:

- Deterioration of decisive importance issues - regardless of all plans and targets, the increase in renewable energy production does not keep in step with the rapidly growing energy consumption and the emission of greenhouse gases has, also very contrary to all targets set, further increased.

Priorities:

On a global scale the direction of the declining indicators should be reversed urgently to avoid further deterioration - Emission of Greenhouse Gases, Consumption of Renewable Energy, Ecological Footprint and Income Distribution.

In many countries, the inequality in Income Distribution is still growing and may become a threat for a well-balanced society. Waste Recycling, the indicator with the lowest score needs special attention, but all indicators need attention at specific regional level.

The full publication, with the data of all 151 countries, can be downloaded for free from the website - www.sustainablesocietyindex.com

IMAGE: Scheme of sustainable development: at the confluence of three constituent parts, by Johann Dréo, en.wikipedia.org, Creative Commons "Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 France"

Photovoltaics Status Report 2008: 60% increase in solar panel production

On December 11, the European Commission's Joint Research Centre has released the latest Photovoltaics Status Report. According to JRC, this scientific study combines analysis of up-to-date international manufacturing and market implementation data throughout 2007 with subsequent strategic and political developments up to September 2008.

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Preliminary findings demonstrate the next key facts:

• an increase in the yearly growth rate of solar photovoltaic production, averaging 40% over five years and then peaking at 60% in 2007;

• a €5.7 billion turnover in Germany in 2007 with in excess of 100,000 houses installing solar panels;

• world electricity production with PV systems is ca 10 Billion KWh, of which half comes from the EU. Solar energy still accounts for only 0.2% of total electricity consumption in Europe. Yet, the net effect is 4 million fewer tonnes of CO2 being released;
  

• incentive schemes and technical advances are having a positive downward impact on photovoltaic costs. Market value is estimated to reach €40 billion by 2010 with lower prices for consumers.

Joint Research Centre predicts that more than 15TWh of electricity will be generated in 2010, what is equivalent to 0.5% of the EU 27 total net production of electricity in 2006 (the same as Slovenia's total electricity consumption). This prediction is sustained on photovoltaic growth scenario for Europe based on 2001 to 2007 data, an analysis of European policies and assessment of current investments.

Other projections are that by 2012 China will account for 27% of worldwide solar cell production capacity (approximately 42.8 GW), followed by Europe with 23%, Japan with 17% and Taiwan with 14%.

Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy is one of 14 different energy technologies that the European Commission's Joint Research Centre is currently assessing within the context of the SETIS (Strategic Energy Technology Information System), which is a key input to Europe's current energy policy. The Joint Research Centre, through the SETIS provides independent, validated and reliable information on energy technologies.This ranges from research on hydrogen fuel-cells and solar to nuclear energy.

The JRC comprises 2,750 staff across seven research institutes in 5 EU Member States (Belgium, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain), including the Institute for Energy in Petten, North Holland.

Second JRC, the last edition of the Photovoltaic Status Report 2007 was downloaded 150,000 times.

You can get a free copy of the new Photovoltaic Status Report 2008 at:
re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/refsys/ [PDF]

_________________________________________________

PV Status Report 2008
Research, Solar Cell Production and Market Implementation of Photovoltaics
September 2008
Arnulf Jäger-Waldau
European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre,
Institute for Energy, Renewable Energies Unit

Abstract

Photovoltaics is a solar power technology to generate Electricity using semiconductor devices, known as solar cells. A number of solar cells form a solar "Module" or "Panel", which can then be combined to solar systems, ranging from a few Watts of electricity output to multi Megawatt power stations.

The unique format of the Photovoltaic Status Report is to combine international up-to-dateinformation about Research Activities with Manufacturing and Market Implementation data of Photovoltaics. These data are collected on a regular basis from public and commercial studies and cross-checked with personal communications. Regular fact-finding missions with company visits, as well as meetings with officials from funding organisations and policy makers, complete the picture.

Growth in the solar Photovoltaic sector has been robust. Yearly growth rates over the last five years were on average more than 40%, thus making Photovoltaics one of the fastest growing industries at present. Business analysts predict that the market volume will increase to € 40 billion in 2010 and expect rising profit margins and lower prices for consumers at the same time. The PV Status Report provides comprehensive and relevant information on this dynamic sector for the public interested, as well as decision- makers in policy and industry.

Images(except the first) and data Source: PV News, Photon International and JRC analysis

Lisbon municipality sells energy generated by solar panels

The Lisbon Municipal Council may gain 160,000 euros/year through the sale ( to the electricity operator EDP - Energias de Portugal) of electricity generated from solar photovoltaic panels installed in primary schools and municipal buildings located in municipal neighborhoods (bairros municipais).

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The micro-generation project, presented yesterday, is taking first steps, but expectations are optimistic. "The return on investment is assured and in eight or nine years, the Municipal Council will make money," said the Mayor of the municipality.

It is estimated that each micro-plant produces 5,110 KW/year, representing a saving of two tonnes of carbon dioxide per system.

Second Gebalis, the municipal company that manages municipal neighborhoods in Lisbon, the systems already installed on the roof of 23 buildings (22 for housing and one for services, the Gebalis headquarter) will bring in the municipality 80,000euros/year - an important contribution to mitigate the damages from the municipal company, that spent 1,026,000 euros with electricity bills of its “bairros”, last year.

However, it’s still necessary to amortize the investment of around 500,000 euros made in systems, which are not yet producing electricity.

For now, the micro-generation is only a reality in the School 117 (Bairro da Flamenga, Marvila), which served as a pilot project and is selling energy to the grid since October - on 14 August 2008 it was officially certified the first installation of photovoltaic micro-generation in a school of Lisbon. Simultaneously, the installation of a exploitation unit of solar thermal energy will allow energy savings of about 70% and economic savings of 80%.

School 117 will be followed by seven other primary and pre schools, whose systems are already installed and approved. With the micro-generation working on eight schools, it is expected an earning revenue of 26,000 euros/year through the sale of energy.

If everything goes well, other 23 schools will join the project. In that case, the gain will reach 75,000 euros/year.

The municipality has spent 25,000 euros per school (200,000 in total) in the installation and certification of the PV solar panels.

In fact, the integrated systems in buildings (BIPV) have a great potential and can lead to a creation of a sustained market (the installation of 1.5 kWp systems in new buildings could result in an annual potential of 60 MWp).

Some benefits include the creation of jobs associated with market promotion and evolution of PV. The investment in the area of photovoltaic systems can create companies of manufacturing, engineering, installation and maintenance and employment with a particular focus at the local level.

Manufacturing: 7 jobs per MW produced.
Engineering and Installation: 30 jobs per MW installed.
Maintenance: 2 jobs per MW installed.

To ensure its 2010 objective for power generation based on renewable energies - 45% of total electricity consumption - Portugal must implement the next two points, with respect of solar power and micro-generation :

Solar energy: construction of the world's largest photovoltaic plant (the Moura plant) and ensure link to micro-generation policies. The Moura Photovoltaic Power Station represents about 30% of the objectives of photovoltaics in Portugal (national target is 150 MW).

Micro-generation: program for installing 50,000 systems until 2010, with incentives to the installation of water heating systems based on solar energy in existing houses. This program can create new business opportunities for installers, industry and energy service companies, stimulating the market of renewables. The micro-generation program is mainly oriented to electricity consumers, small businesses and communities. The special regime applies exclusively to renewable sources (solar PV, wind, hydro, biomass and fuel cells) with the maximum of interconnection power by application limited to 3,68 kW. This program is under the DL n.º 363/2007, 2 November.

Image: Solar Building XXI, INETI - Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Tecnologia e Inovação, Lisbon / by anabananasplit, some rights reserved

The world’s largest photovoltaic power station [VIDEO]

After writing several articles and making two photographic reports related to Photovoltaic Solar in Portugal (visit the links below), on Expresso Multimédia I found this interesting video, which give us a different visual perspective from the "giant" Moura PV power station.

Related articles: (Alentejo: Solar Region)

“Photovoltaic Solar in Portugal”

“Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station”

“Moura Renewable Energies Project“

The world’s largest photovoltaic power station [PICS]

Serpa (Brinches) Photovoltaic Power Station [PICS]

Renault-Nissan electric cars arrive at Portugal in 2011

Portugal Tecnológico 2008 in Lisbon - Nissan Denki (Japanese for “electric”) Cube Concept

The Portuguese government and the Renault-Nissan alliance signed the final agreement “Zero Emission Mobility”, under which Portugal will create a national recharging network for its project of electric cars, that will be built across the country over the next 3 years.

Portugal will have 320 charging stations for electric cars in 2010.That number will reach 1300 at the end of 2011.

Read more

The final agreement took place four months after the government and Renault-Nissan attended the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the project, in order to Portugal becomes one of the first world markets (and the first European) where will be introduced the models of Renault-Nissan electric cars, with release scheduled for the beginning of 2011. French carmaker Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan have been working on the development of a battery powered car with a 160 Km range.

The Portuguese Prime Minister, José Sócrates, announced incentives to electric vehicle purchasers, including an income tax credit for individuals and corporate tax reductions for fleet purchases. The government also wants that 20% of public fleet vehicle purchases be zero-emission, from 2011. Other measures, such as reduced parking rates, preferential access and financing subsidies are being studied further.

“Portugal is a global leader in renewable energy. The next step is to make Portugal a pioneer in zero emission mobility. Electric vehicles offer major benefits to our society by reducing imports of fuel, improving energy security, reducing CO2 emissions and offering a reliable and secure alternative towards sustainable mobility,” said the Prime Minister.

Portugal Tecnológico 2008 in Lisbon - Nissan Denki (Japanese for “electric”) Cube Concept

These measures were announced in Lisbon, at Portugal Tecnológico 2008. Nissan’s Denki Cube was on display at the exhibition. This concept vehicle features the same lithium-ion battery technology that will power Nissan’s new electric vehicles.

Serpa (Brinches) Photovoltaic Power Station [PICS]

Beginning of Autumn. At the end of a warm day - half an hour before the sunset and after having rolled across the spacious Alentejo’s plains - we finally get to the little village of Brinches. Next to a roundabout we find a rural road, which takes us through hills covered by vineyards and olive trees, typical of this soft landscape.

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At one “corner” of the solar power station, we meet two men (a dog and some cows as well) who are contemplating the cloudy final of the day, uncommon this time of the year in one of the Iberian zones with the highest levels of solar radiation. In fact, these two men were the land owners, having rented their terrains to the GE Energy Financial Services, the project investor. What is very interesting in the Serpa project is the integration of clean power generation with the local agriculture.

They wonder about the huge quantity of energy daily injected in the electricity grid, as well as the fact the power plant being remotely controlled. The distance between the two PV power stations of Amareleja and Brinches is around 49 Km. During the construction there were many workers, but now the attentions are more focused on the “rival” Moura, the world's largest, after having dethroned Brinches this year.

Aerial view of Serpa solar power plant / renewableenergyworld.com

Brinches, Serpa, Portugal / Google Earth

Specifications of Serpa photovoltaic power station

Location: Portugal, Alentejo region, district of Beja, municipality of Serpa, parish of Brinches

Area occupied by power station: 60 ha

Installed rated power: 11 MWp

Annual electricity generation: > 18 GWh (equivalent to the consumption of
8,000 homes and farms in the region)

PV surface area: 34 ha

Number of PV panels: 52 000 (Sanyo, Sharp, SunPower and Suntech)

Solar tracking system: “PowerLight PowerTracker System”

Saving of more than 30,000 tons/year in greenhouse gas emissions compared to equivalent fossil fuel generation

Investment : 62 million euros

Conclusion: operational since January 2007

Project participants:
GE Energy Financial Services (Investor)
Power Light Corporation (Project and Construction)
Catavento, S.A. (Promoter and Asset Manager)

Photos by Luis Alves / www.flickr.com/photos/mokkikunta
(except the last two images)

This article is the part 5 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”.

“Photovoltaic Solar in Portugal” - part 1 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”
“Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station” - part 2 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”
“Moura Renewable Energies Project“ - part 3 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”The world’s largest photovoltaic power station [PICS] - part 4 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”

Solar Monkey and WS Energia Announce US Manufacturing Agreement on Solar Tracking Systems

A new generation of award-winning tracking technologies comes to the North American solar market. Today, Solar Monkey and the Portuguese company, WS Energia, announced an agreement to establish a new generation of high precision, reliable and affordable solar tracking systems in USA ,based on WS Energia’s patented award winning tracker design. According to both companies these products increase output efficiencies, reliability, and lower the costs of solar energy tracking systems over those currently available.

WS Energia is a solar technology company located in Lisbon, Portugal and one of the top five leading European industrial producers of optic equipment for low-level solar concentration using commercially available solar modules. In 2007 the robotics that controls WS Energia’s trackers was distinguished for its effectiveness on solar energy production, ease of installation and overall configuration by the panel of the Live EDGE Electronic Design for the Global Environment challenge.

The portuguese WS Energia developed a patented self-powered solar tracker for orienting a set of solar PV panels assuring its precise alignment towards the sun. This tracker is based on local geo-positioning, internal measure of time and inclination, driving the installation to the wanted orientation. Because of its high precision this solar tracker is presently in the DoubleSun tracking structure with concentration reflectors which has been producing up to 60% more power and up to 117% more energy than traditional fixed point panel system in the same conditions.

The agreement will allow the companies to jointly develop manufacturing and production facilities within the USA using WS Energia’s technology already available in the EU. WS Energia Research has developed a suite of solar tracking and concentrating technologies and has product installations currently operating throughout Europe.

Full article at biz.yahoo.com
Related article (in portuguese) at ambienteonline.pt

Itarion Solar Project: new photovoltaic cell plant in Portugal

Moura (Amareleja) PV Power Station /Luis Alves, flickr.com

The Portuguese executive approved a resolution to classify as "strategic interest" an investment in Vila do Conde (north of Portugal), in the area of renewable energies. The investment of approximately 100 million euros will create 200 jobs (142 qualified) and could reach an accumulated sales volume of 2.2 billion euros between this year and 2017.

This solar energy investment will be done by the "Itarion Solar" and it seeks the production of photovoltaic cells. It is one more project in Portugal in this area, having this time the Quimonda AG experience in all relevant processing steps of the crystalline silicon technology.

Recently, it was formed the "Itarion Solar, Lda", a joint-venture between Qimonda AG and the Centrosolar Group AG, planning to construct the crystalline solar cells production plant, at Vila do Conde, near the city of Porto, with an installed capacity of 100 MWp/year, extendable to 250 MWp/year. Centrosolar contributes with its experience in solar module and system application.

Itarion is relying on expertise from Blaubeuren (Germany) based Centrosolar. The master agreement with centrotherm photovoltaics AG, as a leading supplier of technology and services for the manufacturing of solar cells and solar silicon, considers the future possibility of delivery of turnkey production lines.

This major order confirms the South European market growth and it includes several lines with a project planning period of 2 years with the possible delivery of the first line in early 2009.

Wind Power: Greenpeace proposes grid in the North Sea to supply 70m homes

The international environmental organization Greenpeace proposed to the European Union the creation of a transnational wind power grid in the North Sea, to supply 70 million homes. The project - with 10,000 off-shore turbines - would connect England, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.

According to the newspaper "The Guardian", the experts of the European Commission have been pleased with the idea, even with contained enthusiasm. The proposal was considered "ambitious but realistic".

The EU is committed to cutting greenhouse gases by 20%, producing 20% of primary energy from renewables and reducing energy consumption by 20% by 2020 - the so-called 20/20/20 package.

"The grid would enable the efficient large-scale integration of renewable energy in the power system across the whole North Sea region,"

"A dip in wind power in one area could be 'balanced' by higher production in another area, even hundreds of kilometres away."
said Frauke Thies, a Greenpeace campaigner.

The world’s largest photovoltaic power station [PICS]

In Amareleja, a Portuguese parish of the municipality of Moura, the rural landscape was modified by hundreds of thin metallic structures anchored on the ground by concrete foundations. These structures support arrays of solar photovoltaic modules, which convert sunlight into electricity. Like big mirrors, these new elements emerge in the middle of some trees and typical houses of Alentejo region.

More...

The new solar photovoltaic power station will have the highest power so far installed in the world with this technology and comprehends more than 250 hectares of land, the vast majority without any agricultural or forestry aptitude. The impressive power plant will generate 90 million KWh a year, equivalent to the consumption of 30, 000 Portuguese homes. It has 2,520 solar trackers, 141 m2 each one, supporting 262,080 photovoltaic modules.

With an area of 108.34 km2 and about 2 700 inhabitants, the little village is famous for its maximum temperature records. The good wine, the good sheep's cheese and the black pork , make it good place to enjoy a good meal. Let’s hope they can successfully implement their local low-carbon economy.

Photos by Luis Alves / www.flickr.com/photos/mokkikunta

This article is the part 4 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”.

“Photovoltaic Solar in Portugal” - part 1 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”
“Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station” - part 2 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”
“Moura Renewable Energies Project“ - part 3 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”

Moura Renewable Energies Project

Image by mobreporter , some rights reserved

Alentejo is a region with low population density, occupying almost 33% of the area of Portugal and having only 5.2% of its inhabitants. As one of the European regions with greater population decrease, it will only be possible to reverse the economic decline through a population influx.

So far, Alentejo has no cities with sufficient dimension to achieve economies of scale, partly because of a weak urban system, which is blocking its development. However, Évora, with approximately 50,000 inhabitants, presents a very positive dynamic with some potential to reverse this negative trend.

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For an effective regional development of Alentejo, it is critical to achieve the Alqueva Multi Purpose Project (Empreendimento de Fins Múltiplos do Alqueva) in its whole potential - agro-industry, agriculture, irrigation, tourism and renewable energies. This can be a great opportunity to develop the potential of Alentejo in the production of electricity from renewable sources, with emphasis on solar photovoltaics. The production will be carried out by centralized PV power plants, the Alqueva Hydroelectric Plant, small hydro plants, mini PV power plants and micro-generation.

The functional specialization, as a mechanism for creating competitive territories and stable employment, migth be a solution in the particular case of the Moura city and the surrounding territory, by the the promotion of a regional cluster in the area of solar PV and innovation.

Economic Viability - Commitments to development between 3 “actors” (central Government, Municipality and the private sector)

The economic viability of the project and the Government decision in terms of energy policy enabled a subsidised tariff, as well the following counterpart for the installation of the power plant:

- Construction of PV module assembly factory

- Establishment of a 3 M € Social Fund , contributed by Acciona and managed by a Commission formed by the CMM, DGEG and Acciona , that will be applied to the development of infrastructures to be owned by the municipality(CMM):

• Construction of a Laboratory of Renewable Energy

• Programme of dissemination and promotion of renewable energies

• Support for Research and Development

• Support for micro-generation

PV module assembly factory (MSF - Moura Fábrica Solar)

A €7.6 million PV panel manufacturing plant (MSF) will provide panels for the second stage of the Amareleja power station construction. The factory, located in Moura municipality (Amareleja parish, Baldio das Ferrarias), is being constructed by Acciona and became operational in December 2007. Its future production will be targeted at the international market, with a capacity of producing 24 MW of solar panels annually.

Economic Viability (because of the large size of the power plant)

Actually, the market for applications to be connected to the grid with significant centralized power installed (> 10 MW), is receiving particular attention from the investors.

Several economical reasons can be referred for this market trend:

- the high global demand has driven a significant increase in the Silicon price, causing an increase in the cost of PV panels and aggravating significantly the cost of the system (including installation) – the centralized facilities can be a solution to minimize these prices.

- centralized power plants allow large-scale orders, achieving significant reductions in the unitary cost of PV panels.

- central facilities allow potentially maximize the productivity of the electrical system by optimizing the exposure of the panels on the ground.

Some data:

Production: 24 MW / year (minimum annual production capacity)

Investment: 7.65 M €

Start of production: December 2007

Jobs: 115 direct jobs

Minimum Work Period: 10 years

Possibility of doubling the annual production.

Industrial unit of exporting capacity.

Anchor unit of the Technological Park to be installed.

A development strategy

A development strategy has the goal of creation of a cluster in the field of solar energy. To achieve this objective it will be necessary to implement the centralised PV power plant and the PV module assembly factory (previously described), as well the Moura Technological Park (Tecnopólo de Moura), that will be managed by the municipal company “Lógica – Sociedade Gestora do Parque Tecnológico de Moura, E.M.”

Moura Technological Park by Renewable Energy as a progress factor for the Community, Municipality of Moura, C3P & NASA Technical Workshop 2007

Moura Technological Park

( total area ~35 ha)
UP11 – detail plan
PV module assembly factory
Laboratory of Renewable Energy
Research and Development
Installation of new businesses
Sustainable construction: Headquarters Building and Park Housing
New sources of energy

Support for Micro-generation

- Financing and supporting the installation of photovoltaic panels and solar thermal panels in households.

- Encouraging the spread of mini- centrals in institutions. Currently, there are already 3 installations : Professional School of Moura, Secondary School de Moura and BI School of Amareleja.

Despite the PV market trend, small-scale applications, grid connected, have more sustainable future, especially those relating to integration into buildings. Here are some reasons for that:

- Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) materials can play additional functions to the generation of electricity, which should be a critical factor to the solar PV competitiveness, in the absence of government incentives.

- generally, renewable energy sources have low energy density. That require an extensive use of land for the installation of a particular power. Given the current trend of significant increase of the penetration of renewable energies in the energy systems, it is expected fierce competition for land resource. In this sense, the PV energy is in a privileged situation, if the market would be targeted for available buildings areas and other urban structures.

Development of the City and the Region

Sustainable Energy and Buiding - Urban Network for Competitiveness and Innovation, by ECOS Project

Establishment of companies
Local generation of wealth
Economy requalification

Qualified employment creation
Installation of critical R & D capacity

International affirmation of the Moura city

Stimulation of specific segments of tourism
Relationship with other potentials (Alqueva, Termas, Heritage)

Respect and enhancement of high environmental value of the region
A municipality exporter of energy produced from renewable sources

References:

Renewable Energy as a progress factor for the Community, Municipality of Moura, C3P & NASA Technical Workshop 2007

Rodrigues, Maria João; Energia Solar Fotovoltaica, spes.pt - Energias Renováveis

PNPOT, Programa Nacional da Política de Ordenamento do Território,territorioportugal.pt

This article is the part 3 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”

“Photovoltaic Solar in Portugal” - part 1 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”
“Moura (Amareleja) Photovoltaic Power Station” - part 2 of the article: “Alentejo: Solar Region”