Algarve solar park opens

The Alcoutim Photovoltaic Plant which aims to revolutionise Portugal’s energy supply through storage systems was officially unveiled last week.

Located in the parishes of Vaqueiros and Martim Longo in the municipality of Alcoutim in north-eastern Algarve, the Riccardo Totta Photovoltaic Plant boasts 219 Megawatts of power and is the largest plant currently operating in Portugal and one of the largest unsubsidised plants in Europe, promoted by WElink Energy/Solara4 in partnership with China Triumph International Engineering Co. Ltd. (CTIEC).
With 661,500 installed panels that will generate 382 GWh of clean energy and a capacity to supply 200 thousand homes, which corresponds to a drop in carbon dioxide emissions of 326 thousand tonnes per year, it represents a critical contribution toward Portugal successfully reaching the renewable energy targets laid out in its National Energy and Climate Programme 2030 (PNEC 2030).
With the completion of the PV plant, the minister emphasised “the crucial contribution toward ensuring that the country will meet its environmental commitments and that electricity would be cheaper”.