Introduction
Please tell us a bit about yourself, background and role within WElink Energy.
Hi, my name is Nuno Costa Alemão, and I’ve been passionate about Renewables since 2003, when I started working for a Finnish turbine manufacturer called WinWinD. I had the luck to work in many countries, like Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain and ofc Portugal, and I believe this multicultural experience allowed me to experience several ways to work and think. We can say that there are infinite ways to achieve the desired results, and there’s always a solution to every problem.
At WElink, where I started in May 2023, I have the responsibility to develop the Solara4 Wind Farms projects, and yes, we already have 2 Wind Farms under development in Solara4. So far, my experience has been nothing but amazing, with a great group of People, where we all aim to paddle in the same direction, and where our differences will always become an opportunity to learn and evolve. This is very positive, and you don’t see it in many organizations.
Vision for the Business:
What is your overarching vision for WElink Energy’s wind projects?
As we all have seen in the most recent years, the Renewable energy market has evolved significantly, as most projects are no longer a “single Wind Farm” or an “isolated solar plant”. We now have fully integrated technologies allowing the projects to maximize their production throughout hybridization, where we combine two or more renewable sources. At WElink, I expect no less than being in the frontline of this evolution, and to bring top performing hybrid projects with the best possible solutions, “Made in WElink” !
About the Project:
Can you provide an overview of the current wind projects WElink is working on and their expected impact on the energy market?
Currently, we are working on the first Wind Farm to hybridize with Solara4 Solar Power Plant, and this project will be the largest Renewable Cluster in Portugal, bringing for sure an impact to the market. This project will include a Phase 1 and a Phase 2, where Phase 2 will be designed to optimize the Energy Output according to the BESS dimensioning. This will allow us to reduce to nearly 0 the wasted energy, and to maximize the BESS performance.
Challenges:
What are the primary challenges you face in developing wind energy projects in Europe?
The general lack of human resources, allied with an exponential increase of project permitting requests are making a huge impact in the development time for a given project, as we spend much more time obtaining all permits. On one hand we have seen a significant increase in goodwill from most of the Governments, as they are pushing forward, but on the other hand, we are also starting to see some citizen movements against renewables, mostly based on bad or wrong information.
Overcoming Challenges:
How does WElink Energy address and overcome these challenges to ensure the success of its wind projects?
At WElink we are doing big efforts together with the central authorities, trying to clarify every aspect of our projects, but also by working with the local communities (City Halls, and Associations), clarifying any doubts as well that the project might bring to the locals, so every stakeholder is correctly informed about the project. I believe clear information about the project is very important and has been since the very beginning, but as we know sometimes it might work against the developer. At WElink we try our best to keep every stakeholder well informed.
New Technology:
What new technologies or innovations in wind energy are you most excited about, and how do you see them being integrated into WElink’s projects?
Well, I believe that once again WElink is leading the way with this Solara4 Cluster bringing; Solar Energy, Wind Energy and BESS together, and in one single location, producing approximately 1TWh per year, is something that has never been done.
Trends in Wind Energy:
What trends in the wind energy sector do you think will significantly influence the industry in the next few years?
We have seen in the past months some OEMs with problems in their products and this is probably due to a rapid growth in size and technology (probably unproven technology). I believe the next couple of years, the manufactures will try to stabilize their products, meaning I don’t expect to see big steps in size (Capacity, height and Rotor Diameter), but instead I think manufactures will focus in obtaining more reliability of their Turbines as well as getting a higher efficiency, probably by incorporating AI in their SCADA/Control systems (some already doing that).
Future of Wind Energy:
How do you envision the future of wind energy, both globally and for WElink Energy specifically, over the next decade?
I see a bright future for Wind Energy, especially when looking at the latest world trend, as more and more hybrid projects are being built, which allows a bigger energy stability coming from renewables (the intermittency of RES will be reduced to nearly 0). And if we look to the RES Targets from most Countries, they all have included new capacities of Wind, either onshore or offshore (e.g., Portugal passes from 5.8GW to 10,6GW onshore alone) in their National Plans for Energy and Climate, meaning the market is alive and well ! At WElink, I believe we are in the right markets to increase our portfolio more and more, especially in Europe, but not forgetting Africa where we are starting to make a significant footprint in project development.
Like I said, I believe the future is bright with both Sun and Wind and at WElink we have the perfect Team set-up to grow exponentially !
