Serpa Solar Power Plant, Portugal

Does the energy input to develop a solar plant outweigh the energy output?

The chosen topic I will discuss in this coursework is the Serpa Solar power plant which is located in southern Portugal – 200km south of Lisbon in the agricultural region of Alentejo. This plant is the one of the largest photovoltaic projects in the world. At length, I will discuss the importance of generating solar energy without the use of traditional carbon-based fossil fuels which can present serious problems to Earth; such as radiation and of course, the increasingly emphatic crisis of global warming. Furthermore, I will outline whether the amount of energy produced by this plant outweighs the cost, usage of land and energy investment needed for such a large scale development.

With CO2 emissions continuing to rise, there is an ever-increasing demand for alternative forms of eco-friendly energy. Such solutions include wind turbines, nuclear power, hydroelectricity and solar energy. Solar energy currently accounts for about 7-8% of renewable energy sources, yet has the potential to increase vastly in the coming years. The amount of sun reaching the earth’s surface is plentiful – almost 6,000 times more – compared to the 15 terawatts of average power consumed by humans. This means that the solar electric generation has the highest power density among renewable energies. It is environmentally friendly in many ways and is a 100% renewable energy source - without causing noise pollution or harmful emissions. Thus improving air quality as it decreases the need to generate the power from fossil fuels.
In order to produce a realistic amount of solar electric energy from a plant, a vast amount of land, investment, knowledge and technology is needed. However, once the initial capital cost of building a plant has been spent, operating costs are low compared to existing power technologies. Additionally, solar facilities can operate with little maintenance or intervention.

The Serpa solar project along with other renewable energy initiatives, are critical in order to lay the foundation for Portugal’s energy future. Currently, the country is almost completely dependent on the importation of oil (68%) to feed its requirements.
Receiving more sunlight than any other European country, Portugal’s location offers an optimal environment for solar/photovoltaic energy production.

I find the issues faced by global governments and societies alike interesting because of the sheer scale of the task to replenish the earth’s o-zone with cleaner air and renewable energy resources. Also, the cutting edge engineering and technology I find particularly innovative. Attention to detail is an absolute must. One such thing is if the incorrect materials are used, or small electronic faults arise, the project may result in a complete waste of time, funds and land supplied to complete the project. I find the project personally relevant to me since from a young age, have been fascinated by environmental science, moreover, the underlying technology is above all extremely captivating.

I will further investigate the resources needed to develop a plant of this scale by using a range of secondary sources including:

• Newspaper reports – Where I hope to find different view points from the different writers;
• Official records – To obtain valid statistics and raw information from the developers point of view;
• Analysis of photographs and diagrams – where I expect to be given more of a clear mental image regarding the inputs and outputs of energy needed to take on a plant.
• Magazines – To acquire data and information intended for various end-readers. E.g. IET (aimed at engineers and technologists) and compare it with the information from the likes of magazines such as the times2 (directed towards the average reader). I hope this will enable me to give a more economic and cost/benefit analysis.

I will look at case studies of large scale existing and developing solar projects and asses the inputs and outputs of energy needed, including:

• The PS10 Solar Power Tower in Seville, Spain, whereby alternative engineering techniques are used to create solar power.
• The Mildura plant in Australia, which uses heliostat photovoltaic technology.
• The Nellis AFB located in Nevada. This plant uses a PowerLight tracker system
I shall also look at also look at solar power plants which have become un-operational due to a variety of circumstances and try to illustrate why these plants may have failed.

And finally I will try and contact one or more of the companies who made the project possible:

• GE Energy Financial Services who financed and own the facility.
• PowerLight, who designed the plant using its PowerTracker system, and is operating and maintaining it.
• Catavento who are a major Portuguese renewable energy company who developed the project and who are providing the management services.