Features

Portugal with the Right Latitude

A green future for the sunniest country in Europe? A look at renewable energy in Portugal by Gerard Hancock.

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............ contact the office for the full text