WElink

Energy Insights & Updates

22 Jul


Better Planet Now – Solara4

Solara4, a 220 MW PV Plant located in Alcoutim, Portugal, is now at an advanced stage of construction. The complex engineering works – overhead line and substation – are complete. The first 2 PV lines will complete this month, and the remaining PV lines will complete by the end of Q3, 2019.

Solara4 will provide power to 200,000 homes in the area and reduce carbon emissions by 177,000 tons per year. It brings new technology and power infrastructure to a rural area in the Algarve. Once finished, it will be the largest unsubsidised PV plant in Europe. WElink and our partners in CTIEC are leading the way in this market.

 

What is Climate Change? 

 

The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change defines the term ‘climate change’ as “a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g. using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties, and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity” (February, 2011).

A term that is interchanged with climate change is ‘global warming’.

 

10 reasons why WE want to make a difference: 

 

  1. 2016 was the hottest year on record.
  2. The Arctic sea is estimated to be ice free before the mid-century summer; this is a consequence of the Arctic sea heating up at double the rate of the global average.
  3. There is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 2019 than at any other time in human history. The Earth’s atmospheric concentration of CO2 has been tracked since 1950 in the Mauna   Loa observatory in Hawaii. In May 2019, evidence has shown that currently there is a CO2 concentration of 415.26 ppm. This is the highest level of CO2 concentration the Earth has contained for more than three million years.
  4. The number of climate-change-related incidents has been four times more common in 2010 than in 1980.
  5. Climate change has caused global sea levels to rise by 8 inches since 1880. This is a consequence of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.
  6. The earth is getting warmer. UK summers and winters keep getting warmer due to climate change. Evidence to prove this claim is from 2018 when the UK experienced their hottest summer since 2006. And on 26th February 2019, the UK experienced their warmest winter day ever.
  7. Above 600,000 deaths occur worldwide every year due to climate change effects. 95% of these deaths take place in developing countries.
  8. Natural disasters are becoming increasingly frequent and destructive due to climate change.
  9. In 2050 it has been predicted that climate change has the potential to increase the number of people at risk of hunger by as much as 20%.
  10. The world lost about 16% of all coral reefs in 1998.

 

What is next on our agenda? 

 

  • In September 2019, we start construction on our first project in Spain. Puerto Real 1, a 133 MW plant will be followed by Puerto Real 2 and 3, another 100 MW to be built in 2020.
  • Our first projects in Italy (Sicily) will achieve ready-to-build stage later in Q4, 2019, and move to construction in early 2020.
  • We are in the late stage due diligence on several exciting projects capable of construction in late 2019/early 2020, in several geographic regions including the US, Argentina, and Africa.
  • Phase I – 50 MW of the Minbu Project in Myanmar (220 MW) is in its process of grid connection. This is the first PV plant in the country. Many congratulations to the team involved – Trevor (PM) and his site team, the local teams, and our Engineering team in Italy – great job!
  • Solar PV is now the cheapest form of energy in many markets. We are working actively with our partner Jetion to bring new technologies to the market and we strive to achieve the lowest cost of energy. We will update more on this in the coming months.