Spanish renewable energy group Iberdrola has unveiled plans to install its first ever floating solar power plant on the island of Fernando de Noronha, off the northeast coast of Brazil.
The project will be built at the Xaréu dam, in collaboration with Companhia Pernambucana de Saneamento (Compesa), which operates the water and sewage distribution network throughout the island, and with the support of the Energy Efficiency Program regulated by the Brazilian National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel) .
With an output of 630kW , the floating solar plant will generate around 1,240 MWh of green energy per year , enough to cover more than 50% of Compesa’s energy consumption on the island, according to developers.
The installation will have around 940 panels that will help reduce more than 1,660 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, Iberdrola said.
The construction of the project, which is expected to begin before the end of 2023, will involve an investment of €2 million.
This power plant joins other sustainable projects developed by the company to provide renewable solutions and promote the preservation of the ecosystem of the island, the only inhabited island of the volcanic archipelago located in the northeast of Brazil, in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, which is also recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site.
The development of its first floating solar power plant will allow the Iberdrola group to test this new technology and analyze its possible expansion, the company noted.