Greenvolt energises Alentejo

The renewables energy company Greenvolt is to set up the largest auto-consumption photovoltaic unit in Europe in Portugal’s Alentejo region.

The project for the mining company Almina – Minas do Alentejo will be constructed in Aljustrel by GreenVolt which will install the solar panels to produce around one-quarter of the respective electricity.
The subsidiary company charged with managing the operations, Greenvolt Next will “build the largest unit for the production of photovoltaic energy in Europe”, states the company in a communiqué.
The project foresees the installation of around 44,500 solar panels with a total installed capacity of 24.4 MWp.
Production will exceed 41,000 MWh per annum, enabling a reduction in CO2 emissions. The production will also provide around 25% of the company’s needs and avoid emissions of 20,105 tonnes of CO2 per year.
This will be the largest Auto-consumption Production Unit for the Portuguese company that mines minerals; particularly pyrites, sulphites, and other minerals, occupying a site covering 35 hectares.
In addition to the solar panels that will be installed on the ground, a solar carport will also be created — a system of parking for vehicles with solar panels with an installed capacity of 1 MWp which will produce around 1.553MWh annually and serve to provide power for Almina’s fleet of electric vehicles.