Iberdrola, a Spanish energy company, has announced that it will construct its first floating PV facility in Brazil. Iberdrola’s subsidiary, Neoenergia, will construct the solar project at the Xaréu dam on the island of Fernando de Noronha. The project will expense $2.1 million and will include almost 940 solar panels. It will be the first floating PV plant ever built by Iberdrola. The company has teamed up for this project with Compesa, which manages the water and sewage distribution system on Fernando de Noronha.
Additionally, the project will assist the Brazilian National Electric Energy Agency’s Energy Efficiency Program (Aneel). Iberdrola will be able to test this new technology through this programme and evaluate its potential for growth. Once fully operational, the floating solar power plant will produce about 1.2 GWh of renewable energy while reducing more than 1,660 tonnes of carbon emission each year. It will supply 50 per cent of the island’s energy requirements for Compesa using clean energy. Before the end of 2023, construction work at the site is anticipated to commence.
Earlier this month, Iberdrola completed the first phase of construction on its 500 MW Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in France. In the first phase, the company installed 65 per cent of the facility’s piles and 40 per cent of its offshore wind platforms. As per the company’s statement, Windar in Avilés and Navantia in Fene manufactured the piles and offshore wind platforms. A substation and 40 of the 62 wind turbines were secured to the seabed with a total of 124 piles.
