Iberdrola completes Conde solar plant
Published by Abi Larkin,
Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
Iberdrola is making progress in its photovoltaic (PV) deployment in Portugal with the completion of the construction of the Conde plant, located in the municipality of Palmela, in the district of Setúbal (Lisbon region). With an installed capacity of 13.5 MW, the plant will prevent the emission into the atmosphere of 6000 tpy of CO2.
The installation has 25 000 solar modules that will produce enough clean, cheap, and indigenous energy to cover the annual consumption of 5000 households. The project, which has involved an investment of close to €11 million, has generated up to 100 jobs, mostly local.
This is the company’s second PV installation in Portugal, after the 27 MW Algeruz II plant, which is already in operation following its commissioning last August in the district of Setúbal.
Both PV farms belong to the batch obtained by Iberdrola in the public auction held in 2019 by the Portuguese Ministry of the Environment and Energy Transition, through the Directorate General for Energy and Geology, and organised by the Operador do Mercado Ibérico de Energia (OMIP), in which the company was the largest successful bidder with a total of seven projects.
The Alcochete I and II solar power plants, which are currently under construction in the town of the same name, also belong to this batch. The work, which will be completed this year, will create up to 180 jobs. With a combined capacity of 45.6 MW, both projects involve an investment of €38 million.
These parks will have bifacial solar modules, which increase energy production by up to 30% compared to traditional panels because both sides of the panel are able to absorb the sun’s energy. In addition, bifacial cells reduce the average cost of electricity by 16%.
The plants will also have a tracking system that allows the modules to move according to the path of the sun, thus maximising energy capture and extending the useful life of the plant, as it suffers less degradation. Thus, when they come into operation, Alcochete I and II will be able to supply enough green energy to meet the needs of 26 400 homes for a year, which is more than the total population of the municipality of Alcochete.
The batch obtained by Iberdrola is completed with the 36.5 MW Montechoro I and II projects in Paderne (Albufeira) and the 64 MW Carregado project in Alenquer (Lisbon), which is in the process of obtaining a construction permit. When all these facilities come into operation, Iberdrola will have 187 MW of PV capacity in Portugal.
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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/07112022/iberdrola-completes-conde-solar-plant/
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