Portugal's Bold Renewable Push: World's Biggest Solar and Wind Farms
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles 
on 06. 8.08
Image from LukeGordon1 via flickr
After previously setting a record for having the world's largest PV project (though it was soon to be upstaged by countless other entries), Portugal is set to once again reclaim that title when it breaks ground on a 45 MW, £250 million farm near Moura. The PV farm, which will contain 2,520 solar panels, will supply enough energy to power 30,000 homes. As impressive as it may sound, this farm is just one of the many renewable projects the country is pursuing as part of its ambitious environmental agenda, reports The Guardian's John Vidal.
Portugal hopes to generate 31 percent of its energy from clean technologies by 2020 -- which would require it to increase its renewable energy share from 20 percent in 2005 to 60 percent in 2020.
Image from The Guardian
As Vidal explains, Portugal has made tremendous progress over the last 3 years and is now close to claiming the lead in the EU renewables' league (well worth reading; see bottom of the article):
"In less than three years, Portugal has trebled its hydropower capacity, quadrupled its wind power, and is investing in flagship wave and photovoltaic plants. Encouraged by long-term guarantees of prices by the state, and not delayed by planning laws or government indecision, it has proved a success. Firms are expected to invest £10bn in renewables by 2012 and up to £100bn by 2020."
Not only is the country making great strides in building its solar industry, it is also making huge inroads in the wind and wave sectors (and garnering a lot of "world's biggest" plaudits): The world's biggest wind farm is being assembled in northern Portugal across Spain's border, and the world's first commercial wave farm, which is being developed by Scottish company Pelamis, is being built near Porto.
These words from the minister of economics, Manuel Pinho, will certainly endear his country to environmentalists and other renewable enthusiasts: "When you have a programme like this there is no need for nuclear power. Wind and water are our nuclear power." Now if only we could convince politicians back home of this...
Via ::The Guardian: World's biggest solar farm at centre of Portugal's ambitious energy plan (news website)
See also: ::Portugal Goes for Record Wind Power Investment, ::Padre Himalaya, a Portuguese Pioneer on Solar Energy
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I'm so envious.
We need an overhaul of the people in Congress and the Senate so we can get started on projects like this.
45 MW is really a drop in the bucket and a ripoff for $500 million USD! You could easily have 400 MW of wind for the same price.
Yes, I agree. It would be great if efforts like in Portugal would become more and more considered. I was writing on April 1, 08 about this great project, check it out if you're interested:
http://www.sikantisearth.com/earth/?p=4
We need to reckon all the costs of petroleum and see that total paid for it. There is a price to be paid for pollution: death, disease, extinctions, pollution, weather changes and other real nuisances not commonly calculated with the price per gallon of gasoline. Because the waste products are mainly gaseous, the effects of pollution have never been fully appreciated.
Once those costs and risks are taken into account by market forces, only then can a rational economical solution set be obtained. Taxes on combustibles or subsidies for renewables are indicated. Even these must be sensible, too. The diffuse economy of the western and mountain states requires travel over vast distances to be practical. Local economic consequences must be weighed locally, not imposed by Howard Dean.
When you consider that Portugal isn't the wealthiest of countries, certainly in comparison to UK/USA, their politicians appear imbued with a better long term vision when it comes to power.
Come on Mr Brown - get your act together, stop trying to sell us nuclear for a few rich friends and get on with the business of planning and delivering greener/cheaper power.
We like to use a coffee/ tea urn in our home and for entertaining as well as for parties and events. We have used a number of so-called "stainless steel" urns which are advertised as such. However, we have found that all of them have an aluminum heating core and fastening nut inside the urn that comes into contact with the water and flakes and leaches into the water. Many people are concerned about using aluminum cookware that comes into contact with food during cooking. There is concern that aluminum exposure of this type over time contributes to alzheimers and dementia in people who are eating and drinking from these products. If you examine the water inside the urn after using it for a few months, you will see the flaking off of aluminum from the heater core and fastening nut inside the urn.
Do you know of an urn that is truly all stainless that uses a heater core that is stainless and not aluminum?
Sincerely
Will Kahane
609 383 0101