Related Posts
Solar Power Supplies Sold Out in Germany
Germany’s Renewable Energy Sources Act has required power companies to buy all the energy produced by anyone making...
Egypt Announces Plans to Go SolarWhen it comes to Egypt, most news reports tend to be about the latest archaeological findings. This report...
China moves toward concentrating solar power plants
Having already made great strides in renewable energy production in the form of massive wind and photovoltaic solar...
Germany Considers Solar and Wind Power Cutbacks Germany has talked about cutting back on solar energy support and withdrawing wind power supplied to Taiwan...
Germany: Renewable energy to compete with nuclear power
If the unusually hot weather in Europe this summer is an environmental ‘cloud’ of bad news – forest...
Tip of the Day
Go grocery shopping locally to help reduce your carbon footprint
Italy Plans to Open Europe’s Most Powerful Solar Power Plant
Image Source: Stock.Xchng. By: Cedec
Germany may be number one when it comes to solar power in the EU, but they are about to get some heavy competition from Italy.
Italy plans to open Europe’s most powerful solar power plant later this year. The plant will be constructed by the US company SunEdison—the top solar power company in the US and the third largest in the world. It will be located near Venice, in the town of Rovigo. It will take up 9.15 million square feet (850,000 square meters) and produce 72 megawatts.
According to the company, somewhere between $273 and $342 million (200-250 million Euros) will be invested into the project. General manager, Liborio Francesco Nanni commented:
“The photovoltaic park in Rovigo province is a milestone in the development and establishment of solar energy in Italy.”
Currently, Spain holds the biggest solar power plant in Europe, followed by Germany. However, come this fall that will all change. Italy’s plant is expected to start production during the second half of this year, with plans to become fully operational by the year’s end.
To make the news even better, the plant will be able to provide at least 17,000 homes with all their electricity needs during the first year of operations. Plus, they will also prevent 41,000 tons of CO2 from being emitted. It would be nice to see more people (or companies) take up the same initiative, but I suppose one can always dream.
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: Europe’s most powerful solar power plant, Italy, renewable energy, Rovigo, solar power, SunEdison
Other Greenfudge.org posts
UN: Cut black carbon, save lives and slow climate change
The dirty, low-tech burning of fossil fuels, wood and other biomass produces poisonous pollution and “short-lived climate forcers”, mainly black carbon, methane and ground-level ozone. Black carbon (soot) from sources such as crop burning, dirty diesel engines and simple coal or wood burning stoves causes cardio-pulmonary diseases and low birth weight. UN figures put deaths due to indoor smoke from cooking stoves alone at 1.9 million per year – mostly women and children in developing countries. A study from the University...
Northern Ireland’s sets 40% renewable energy target for 2020
Currently Northern Ireland produces 10% of its energy from renewable sources, primarily on shore wind farms. After Scotland threw down the gauntlet and announced an 80% renewable energy target for 2020 and Wales pledged to increase the amount of energy they produce from green sources by 200%, its now Northern Ireland’s turn. Though not as ambitious as Scotland’s, NI new energy plan puts their target at 40% renewables by 2020. From a BBC News report: Reaching the target will need large offshore wind farms,...
UK-based group is upping the ante on environmentalism with its Fix the Food Chain Campaign
Environmental watchdog, Friends of the Earth, is speeding up its efforts to call for fundamental changes on how the UK Government legislates with regards to the food system. With their Fix the Food Chain Campaign, they want to draw focus on intensive livestock farming and its negative impact to the environment and the global food chain. The group demands that taxpayer’s money should be spent on projects geared towards a healthier planet, a safer climate and smarter economy by way of...
Indigenous Colombians fed up with conflict on their lands
photo by Dawn Paley (Flickr CC) Members of Colombia's Nasa tribe are demanding that both government troops and leftist rebels leave their lands. Nasa territory has been the battle ground for a bloody offensive by the Colombian military against FARC rebels, claiming mainly civilian lives. Tribal protesters wielding wooden clubs and spears forced members of the military from their lands (the Nasa shun the use of firearms). They have also conducted trials against FARC rebels who could face banishment, flogging or...
Mountain Gorillas Are Great Apes!
They’re big, they’re vegetarian and they’re very much like us. Except they mind their own business. Yet political conflict, the bush meat trade and human thirst for wealth and natural resources are wiping out these gentle, majestic primates. Check out this documentary on mountain gorillas by VBS. The Vice Guide to Travel: Gorillas in the Midst VBS travels to Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the mountain gorillas – 200 of the earth’s last 720 — are...
Swiss Residents Vote ‘No’ for Animal Lawyers
There is no justice for abused animals living in Switzerland—well, at least not enough justice, according to some. A vote conducted in the country showed that 70.5% of the voters did not support a proposal that would allow abused animals to have their own lawyers. Only 29.5% backed the proposal, with a 45% turnout. Currently, there is such a system in place in Zurich, but unfortunately, hopes of making that system a nationwide thing have been dashed. The proposal comes at a...
Go Green: A List of Green Home Improvements You Can Do for Free! (Part 3)
This week, I am covering the final segment of Green Home Improvements You Can Do for Free. So far, I have told you ways you can go green in the bathroom, kitchen, home office, lawn and garden, while doing cleaning or laundry, and other general household improvements. There’s only a small bit left to cover this week, so I’m just going to get right to it. Check out the list!: Transportation: Any time you are travelling within a reasonably short distance...
Rhode Island Sized Ice Chunk Breaks off Antarctica
Ice. Oh, the many uses and happenings that involve ice. It keeps your drinks cold. It’s a pain to deal with in winter. It’s been known to put holes in ships and has quite the alarming melt factor as of late. The biggest news happened down at Antarctica. Apparently, a chunk of ice bigger than the size of Rhode Island broke away from Antarctica and then shattered into even more pieces. If you don’t know your US states or geography, Rhode...
So really, no more plastic bags in Los Angeles?
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a ban on plastic grocery bags in unincorporated areas of the county. “No store shall provide to any customers a plastic carryout bag”. That’s what the official measure reads. Now how much people live in Los Angeles? According to the Wikipedia page for Los Angeles, the city holds 3,83 million people, while the surrounding urban area of greater Los Angeles extends to an added 14,8 million people. The county is home to 88...
Sunblock in pill form?
Researchers from Kings College London are studying the symbiotic relationship between coral and algae living in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. They found that in order to survive in strong sunlight, coral produces compounds that act as a natural sunscreen. Scientists hope to use genetic engineering to recreate the compounds in a laboratory back in the UK and eventually develop a sunscreen in pill form. Since the compound is already present in the food chain in the coral reefs – small fish ingest...
View all articles
You can also log in to post a comment.