Month: March 2023

               The Isle of Man is set to generate as much as 75% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2026, its government has announced. Ministers have given the go-ahead for the island’s state-owned electricity supplier Manx Utilities to start work on generating 30MW of electricity from onshore wind and solar power within the next three years. The island’s current electricity demand averages at around 40MW and peaks at around 75MW in winter, but can fall as low as 25MW at night during the summer. The UK island’s Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK said: “Today marks a major milestone in the Isle of Man’s commitment to become a net zero nation by 2050 and to decarbonise our electricity production by 2030. “Electricity generation is the largest single source of carbon emissions in the Isle of Man, accounting for around 35% of our annual total, so this is the obvious place to start with our decarbonisation plans if we are to make significant inroads, and quickly. “Thirty megawatts by 2026 is an ambitious and stretching goal for an island community, but one we must achieve if we are to play our part in tackling global warming and climate change.”

               Sites on the island in public ownership are being targeted for the installation of solar panels, including car parks and government buildings.  Wind turbines could also be built on publicly-owned sites focussing on areas where the wind yield is likely to be highest, subject to planning approvals. The majority of the island’s electricity is currently generated using natural gas, with diesel, energy from waste, hydroelectric and a subsea cable to England making up the remainder. The Isle of Man, a self-governing Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea at the heart of the British Isles, is home to 85,000 people and is unique in being the only nation in the world where the entirety of its territory – the land and the sea – makes up a UNESCO Biosphere.

Credits: renews.biz/[Image: Dimitry Anikin/Unsplash ]

               Aura Power and Ib Vogt are to begin construction work on a 27MWp solar project near Leiria in Portugal. The grid connection for the project was awarded in the 2019 solar power auctions. The grid works scheduled to begin in mid February by EDP Comercial. Ib Vogt will then begin construction of the solar farm in May.  Construction is expected to be completed in Q4 this year with energization expected shortly after. The solar farm is located 120km north of Lisbon and 6km to the south of the city of Leiria. It lies adjacent to the EREDES(DNO) Azoia substation which it will connect directly into, at the 60KV voltage level. With an energy generation of 44GWh per year, the solar farm will provide enough clean electricity to power over 13,500 homes, preventing the emissions of over 9,000 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere each year. 

               Aura Power chief operating officer Ben Moore said: “We are really pleased to announce the construction of this project which is the first Utility Scale PV farm in Portugal to be developed organically and constructed all the way to COD by a British company. “It is the first of many that we are bringing through our pipeline all the way to COD and we are proud to be able to help contribute towards Portugal’s commendable 2026 and 2050 net zero targets.” Portugal has an ambitious target to reach 80% clean electricity production by 2026, four years earlier than previously planned. Aura Power has over 20GW of solar and battery energy storage projects in development across Europe and North America.

Credits: renews.biz/ [Image: Ib Vogt ]

               Ilmatar plans to build an industrial-size solar farm with a total rated capacity of approximately 40MWp at Pöytyä municipality in western Finland. The farm will produce an estimated 40GWh of electricity per year, corresponding to the consumption of about 2,000 houses. The development in the area of Ortenoja totals roughly 60 hectares and the project is due to come on stream as early as 2024.  Ilmatar’s project developer Elviira Ritari said: “In terms of constructability, the location appears to be excellent because most of it is flat land with open field areas where the sun shines unobstructed. “The location is also great in terms of connection to an electric power network, because power lines are in place already and no lengthy underground cabling is therefore needed.

               “Once production commences, the solar farm will generate property tax income in tens of thousands of euros to the municipality of Pöytyä. “In addition, the municipality will significantly improve its carbon balance.” Ilmatar has been developing the project with its partner network from the very beginning. Next, Ilmatar plans to apply for the permits required to build the solar farm and to complete any necessary investigations into the matter. Once the investment decision is made, Ilmatar constructs the farm and will retain ownership for the entirety of its lifecycle of up to forty years. Ilmatar applies this strategy to the production of onshore and offshore wind power as well as solar power. In addition to making its business sustainable, Ilmatar wants to be a responsible and accountable actor with a local presence at its project locations.

Credits: renews.biz/ [Image: Ilmatar]