Portugal with the Right Latitude
A GREENER FUTURE FOR THE SUNNIEST COUNTRY IN EUROPE?
It may have been just the day I travelled but as I opened the door of my air conditioned cocoon and the full effects of the 40º heat hit home, I soon began to appreciate the location of the newest and largest photovoltaic energy production centre on the planet.
Apparently though, most days are like this in Moura in the Portuguese Alentejo and temperatures regularly top 35º. Out in the sun it feels a whole lot more and working here certainly isn’t easy. There is also plenty of dust which is causing a few difficulties during this production phase. It is presently being kicked up from the slate base but will cease to be a problem when the centre is finished, as the dirt roads will gradually be replaced with the real thing. At the moment though, it is covering the PV panels, (photovoltaic is a bit of a mouthful for trade insiders) and reducing energy production by up to 20% as it limits the sun’s action on the double-decker bus sized cells covering this 250 hectare site. When it’s in full operation, and dust-free, which is expected for early next year, this plant will be kicking out some 62 megawatts of energy.
Futurist and almost Other Worldly Feel of the Moura Plant
An engineer working on the construction of the Moura Plant. The Portuguese are turning this stretch of semi-desert into a centre of hi-tech energy and setting an example the world would do well to keep an eye on. Not a bad achievement for a bit of land which would otherwise have no apparent use. Barren, drought affected, and impossible to cultivate, this is the ideal place to locate a photovoltaic plant and this decision could well prove to be a trend setter. Now that such ventures are proving to be viable with the cost of producing PV energy ever lower, the unfarmable and unworkable but sun-soaked interiors of southern Europe and beyond are being earmarked for something a little more useful than wilderness and subsistence farming. Besides Portugal, PV sites in Spain, Greece, Italy and even ambitious plans for the north of Africa are being studied. In the not too distant future, all of these countries could well be producing considerable amounts of the energy to be consumed by the industrialized north.
In fact, the Moura plant is the second PV plant in the Portuguese Alentejo after a smaller pilot operation proved to be very successful at nearby Serpa. Both of these centres and several other ambitious projects are solid proof of the Portuguese government’s commitment to renewables.
Serpa Photovoltaic Plant - A pilot project before Moura.
The Right Latitude - Wind, Waves, and Sun
By their own admission the Portuguese will tell you that their country doesn’t often take the lead but their efforts in renewable energies are something of which they can be justifiably proud. Wind, waves and sun are abundant sources of energy in this country and they mean to make the most of them! Portugal has 850 kilometres of windy, wavy Atlantic coast, the most hours of sunshine of any country in Europe and some exceptional projects are underway to maximize all of these resources.
Let’s Think Big
In addition to Moura being the biggest photovoltaic plant in the world, there is also an extensive wind farm production programme all over the country, including Europe’s largest in the north along the Spanish border. Just round the corner from Moura is yet another mega, clean-energy project. The town of Alqueva is home to Europe’s largest artificial reservoir which is currently producing 260 MW of hydro-electric power, soon to be doubled to 520 MW.
Wind Farm Construction. 10 minutes of every hour of energy used in Portugal now comes from the wind.
Alqueva Reservoir
Alqueva Reservoir
Carbon Copy Villages
No big project goes without controversy though and the Alqueva reservoir went through 20 years of stop-start political hesitation but the decisive step to build was finally taken and the project was completed in 2002. It was and still is a controversial project. Just ask the inhabitants of Aldeia da Luz, a local village which was carbon copied from scratch on higher ground as a replacement for the original which was totally submerged when the waters started to rise. The current socialist government took another bold step when they approved another long-standing hydroelectric project in July this year for the Sabor reservoir, also in the north of Portugal.
This identical village was built from scratch to replace the original submerged by the reservoir
Greek Serpents
There are even more superlatives and innovation though. Something else catching international attention is the world’s biggest wave energy plant which lies in the waters 5km off Póvoa de Varzim, a casino resort north of Porto.
After 20 year of research and testing at Lisbon’s Higher Technical Institute, the Póvoa wave farm is now the first such commercial venture in the world and is using Pelamis technology in an alliance with the Portuguese Enersis and Ocean Power Delivery, a Scottish company.
(Check out the technology on you tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TSmYmV23W0 ).
Pelamis is the Greek word for sea snake and these huge energy producing serpents are currently outputting a modest 2.5 MW of power in the physically and environmentally intimidating environment of the Atlantic Ocean. No easy task but the potential for wave energy is enormous and if this project proves to be successful, waves could be producing 30% of Portugal’s GDP in 2050.
Bright Horizon
European Directives for Portugal on electricity production from renewable sources set a figure of 39% by 2010. However, this goal has already been surpassed and the aim is now for 60% by 2020. One of the highest levels in Europe and significantly higher than many much more developed countries. By comparison, the U.K. currently produces less than 2% of energy needs from renewable sources and its target figure for 2020 is a modest 15%. To achieve this Portugal will be investing around 6.4 billion Euros, more than 4% of GDP.
How about some free light bulbs?
Another small but significant gesture is the decision by the Ministry for the Economy and Innovation to distribute 3,000,000 economic light bulbs for free. This alone will allow the average household electricity blll to be reduced by around 10%.
Because the impact from all of these changes is longer-term and perhaps because there is little immediate change in people's lives, reaction on the street is difficult to gauge. Many remain unaware of the scope of the developments and the benefits the country will feel in the years to come. However, all of these steps will have significant and far reaching impact on the environment. Portuguese people will be breathing cleaner air and enjoying reduced dependence on imported oil and lower energy production costs. Simple steps but huge benefits and an example to follow.
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