20,000 solar panels boost renewable energy production in Madeira

Two wind farms in Madeira – Alecrim and Pico da Urze – are the subject of a 5 million euro private investment, which includes the installation of 20,000 photovoltaic panels to increase renewable energy production and optimise injection into the regional electricity grid.

According to Aurélio Tavares, the businessman responsible for the project, this hybridisation (combination of wind and solar energy) makes it possible to compensate for the times when the wind turbines are not working at full load, thus maximising the capacity contracted with the grid.

Each park will have around 7 MW of solar power and can feed up to a thousand families per park. Currently, the wind energy from these parks already contributes a total of 18 MW (9 MW each), representing a significant share of the wind energy generated in the region.

This project has technical support from institutions such as INESC TEC and INEGI, and may not be the last of its kind: new investment opportunities in renewable energy in Madeira are already being considered by the investor.