Construction of the 11 megawatt Serpa solar power plant (also known as Hércules solar power plant) began in May 2006 and was completed as planned in January 2007, at the cost of 58 million euro.
The facility is located in
Serpa, in Portugal's
Alentejo
Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo'').
Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...
agricultural region, southeast of Lisbon. The plant uses
SunPower subsidiary PowerLight's PowerTracker system to follow the sun's daily path across the sky and generate more electricity than conventional fixed-mounted systems.
The plant provides enough electricity to supply approximately 8,000 homes.
The Serpa solar power plant was developed by the Portuguese company
Catavento and it incorporates
photovoltaic
Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...
modules from SunPower,
Sanyo,
Sharp and
Suntech.
General Electric Financial Services provided the financing for the project as part of its Ecomagination program.
Generating electricity from the sun with no fuel costs or emissions, the Serpa plant is on a 60-hectare (150-acre) hillside and is a model of clean power generation integrated with agriculture. The project supports a
European Union initiative by saving more than 30,000 tons a year in
greenhouse gas emissions compared to equivalent
fossil fuel
A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...
generation. The EU agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020, from 1990 levels.
Portugal relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, and its carbon dioxide emissions have increased 34 percent since 1990, which is among the fastest rates in the world. To address this, the country is implementing some of the world's most advanced incentives for installing
renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...
. The Serpa project relies on a preferential tariff mandated by the Portuguese government.
enjoys widespread support in Portugal, with the backing of 77 percent of the population, according to a European Commission study published in January 2007.
See also
*
Renewable energy in Portugal
*
Renewable energy in the European Union
Renewable energy plays an important and growing role in the energy system of the European Union. The Europe 2020 strategy included a target of reaching 20% of gross final energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020, and at least 32% by 203 ...
*
Energy policy of the European Union
*
Renewable energy commercialization
References
External links
Portugal starts huge solar power plantWorld's Largest Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant to be Built with GE Investment and PowerLight Technology11-MW Solar PV Plant Dedicated in Portugal
{{Portalbar, Portugal, Renewable energy
Photovoltaic power stations in Portugal
Buildings and structures in Serpa
Buildings and structures in Beja District