700 MW Solar Power Auction Kicked Off Today In Portugal
June 8th, 2020 by Cynthia Shahan[2]
After the last delay in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, today, June 8, marked the time for solar power developers to submit applications[3] for Portugal’s 700 MW solar auction. July 31, 2020, is the final day of the application process. After the applications process, the government expects there will be hard bidding around the last week of August.
Arrancou prazo para candidaturas ao leilão solar em 12 lotes https://t.co/lVje1t47cs[4]
— ECO Economia Online (@ECO_PT) June 8, 2020[5]
PV Tech[6] notes that the solar auction winners will probably be announced in early September.
Government documents in May brought to light the government’s intention to put forward 12 contract lots for the bidders. In the first of three categories, bidding will start at an initial maximum price of €41.54–41.73/MWh ($46.37–46.58/MWh).
“The figure marks a drop on the €45/MWh ceiling prices Portugal had set for its 1.15GW solar tender in 2019, which ended up producing individual tariffs of €14.76/MWh. The number has since been described as a global solar cost milestone but also a figure PV players ‘cannot survive on’.”
There are three “modalities” in the auction: 1) Solar developers trying to land a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with a fixed price, 2) “Solar developers accepting to pay in return for the right to produce at market prices, also for 15 years,” and, getting quite complicated, a storage element: 3) “Storage developers: According to state secretary Galamba (see here[7] for full explanation), the new modality will work as a “quid pro quo” insurance-type scheme. Storage developers will receive from the system an annual fixed price per MW installed; by competing in the auction, they will bid down the prices they are prepared to receive. In return, they will insure the system against price rises beyond a certain level, compensating it when market prices climb over strike prices.”
Another auction for 500 MW of solar is expected later in the year.
New solar auction has already started. Iberdrola wants to be the winner again https://t.co/WQmjwbOKwA[8]
— ECO News (@ECOnews_PT) June 8, 2020[9]
Featured image: Portugal Nature Reserve, by Jose Pontes/CleanTechnica
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About the Author
Cynthia Shahan[16] Cynthia Shahan started writing after previously doing research and publishing work on natural birth practices. (Several unrelated publications) She is a licensed health care provider. She studied and practiced both Waldorf education, and Montessori education, mother of four unconditionally loving spirits, teachers, and environmentally conscious beings born with spiritual insights and ethics beyond this world. (She was able to advance more in this way led by her children.)
References
- ^ Clean Power (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ Cynthia Shahan (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ submit applications (leiloes-renovaveis.gov.pt)
- ^ https://t.co/lVje1t47cs (t.co)
- ^ June 8, 2020 (twitter.com)
- ^ PV Tech (www.pv-tech.org)
- ^ here (www.pv-tech.org)
- ^ https://t.co/WQmjwbOKwA (t.co)
- ^ June 8, 2020 (twitter.com)
- ^ Europe (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ portugal clean energy (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ portugal renewable energy (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ Portugal solar (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ Portugal solar energy (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ solar auctions (cleantechnica.com)
- ^ Posts by Cynthia Shahan (cleantechnica.com)