Environment

Portugal boasts world's biggest solar farm

by Rob Peters | June 13, 2008 at 03:04 pm

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With the world's largest solar photovoltaic farm in the works, Portugal is quickly becoming a leader in Europe's clean-tech revolution. As part of an ambitious energy plan, Portugal plans to generate 31 percent of its energy from clean sources by 2020.

From a distance the bizarre structures sprouting from the high Alentejo plain in eastern Portugal resemble a field of mechanical sunflowers. Each of the 2,520 giant solar panels is the size of a house and they are as technically sophisticated as a car. Their reflective heads tilt to the sky at a permanent 45 degrees as they track the sun through 240 degrees every day.

The world's largest solar photovoltaic farm, generating electricity straight from sunlight, is taking shape near Moura, a small town in a thinly populated and impoverished region which boasts the most sunshine per square metre a year in Europe.

When fully commissioned later this year, the £250m farm set on abandoned state-owned land will be twice the size of any other similar project in the world, covering an area nearly twice the size of London's Hyde park. It is expected to supply 45MW of electricity each year, enough to power 30,000 homes.

Portugal, without its own oil, coal or gas and with no expertise in nuclear power, is pitching to lead Europe's clean-tech revolution with some of the most ambitious targets and timetables for renewables. Its intention, the economics minister, Manuel Pinho, said, is to wean itself off oil and within a decade set up a low carbon economy in response to high oil prices and climate change.

"We have to reduce our dependence on oil and gas," said Pinho. "What seemed extravagant in 2004 when we decided to go for renewables now seems to have been a very good decision."

He expects Portugal to generate 31% of all its energy from clean sources by 2020. This means lifting its renewable electricity share from 20% in 2005 to 60% in 2020, compared with Britain's target of 15% of all energy by 2020. Having passed its target for 2010 it could soon top the EU renewables league.

EU renewable league

Top

Sweden 2005 39.8%, target by 2020 49%

Latvia 34.9%, target 42%

Finland 28.5%, target 38%

Austria 23.3%, target 34%

Portugal 20.5%, target 31%

Bottom

Cyprus 2.9%, target by 2020 13%

Netherlands 2.4%, target 14%

Ireland 3.1%, target 16%

Netherlands 2.4%, target 14%

Belgium 2.2%, target 13%

UK 1.3%, target 15%