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Energy
Sea, sun and wind to meet most power needs within five years
Gibraltar is poised to sign contracts that will lead to electricity supplies coming from the sea, sun and wind, which will be 21⁄2 times more than the EU requirement of 15% of energy needs coming from renewables by 2020
“looking at the possibility of either small on- shore wind generators, or offshore wind generators on the East side, that don’t have a negative impact visually, or on migrating birds”. Various environmental impact studies would be needed for the marine wind farm “and that is years away”, Dr Cortez conceded, but more easily achieved would be “a small amount of wind from local housing estates using wind generators to power their communal areas – that sort of scale, but every little bit helps”.
Grid upgrading
One hindrance to use of renewable energy sources has been the ability to connect to Gibraltar’s electricity grid, but the distribution network is now being upgraded with priority going to locations considered likely for the new connections. Small extra loads from the EWP first phase, and the over-supply from a solar plant at the public swimming pool, can be accommodated already.
The upgrade work is necessary anyway to make electricity supplies more secure for business and domestic customers, as well as for the load from the new power station on part-reclaimed land in the Port’s North Mole by French firm, Bouygues Energies & Services, which also will operate the plant for a year after it “hopefully opens in summer or autumn next year”.
Dr Cortez maintained it was necessary to have an 80MW output power station even when renewable sources were expected to provide at least half of present Gibraltar requirements. “As far as I’m concerned we need to have a fossil fuel power station at this point in the earth’s history, because renewables of the type we are working on are reliable, but they are not predictable.
“You cannot be sure it’s going to be sunny everyday and it doesn’t shine at night, and the motion of the sea will vary according to different factors.” Gibraltar is presently said to be able to convert waves into energy only about 20% of the time - solar panels produce even less - but EWP expects higher production levels from its second stage project.
Until storage batteries are developed that can take and keep a mains electricity load
Electrifying: Chief Minister Fabian Picardo with Inna Braverman and Dr John Cortez at Eco Wave Power launch
The upshot of numerous public-private eco-friendly investments will be a substantial cut in fossil fuel generating bills and potential for ending the government’s present 50% public subsidy of electricity bills after an eight-year price standstill – and even the possibility of a small consumer price reduction!
Gibraltar requires at least 40MW of electricity supply at peak, a figure that is expected to rise as a result of current and planned developments on The Rock. A new £77m dual fuel power station being built with six turbines fired by diesel oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has the capacity to produce double today’s electricity needs.
But Environment Minister Dr John Cortez revealed in our exclusive interview that around 20MW of electricity power – half of the jurisdiction’s requirement - is expected to come within four years from:
• marine currents; • on and off-shore wind turbines; • solar panels; and • wave power.
His confidence is despite a later-than- expected introduction of the territory’s first renewables project – the 0.5MW Eco Wave Power (EWP) pilot plant that was launched in May propelling Gibraltar into world pole position on continuous use of renewable energy feeding the main grid.
Inna Braverman, EWP co-founder, told Gibraltar International: “This first phase cost US$1⁄2m, with 30% coming in November from the EU Regional Development Fund and we were operational five months later.”
A second EWP phase of 5MW is
planned to launch in two years’ time with three or four sites being investigated, and “that will cost US$5m, plus extras – possibly up to US$7m – of which we would expect to receive up to 80% from the EU and from other international funding”, Braverman said. Financial returns were expected within three to six years.
Dr Cortez now wants EWP to extend its power generating capacity to 10MW! The Israeli EWP projects have zero impact on the environment and use floaters to convert Gibraltar’s widely variable waves into electricity.
“We are looking also at marine currents and working with a French company, Blue Shark, which has been monitoring the strength of marine currents in the south west of Gibraltar with a view to us having a similar arrangement to that with Eco Wave, but from the movement of the current, rather than the height of the wave”, Dr Cortez divulged.
Airport solar plan
Impacting more quickly, at least 20 mostly publicly owned sites have been identified for installation of solar panels and the government is planning to invite expressions of interest this autumn with a view to having the solar farms operational a year later.
One location is likely to be the Gibraltar International Airport terminal building, but clearance will be needed from the RAF, which operates the airport, to prevent any hazard to flights from sun reflection. There are solar panels installed near to many other airports worldwide.
“We have assessed spaces in Gibraltar – rooftops of public buildings, car parks that can be covered by a canopy and other areas that at the moment are relatively flat or gently sloping areas - that to all intents and purposes are fallow,” the Minister said. “They do not impact on any of the natural environment – it is clearly precious, because of our small space – and we have identified enough space to be able to [generate], we believe, between 10-15MW.”
Similarly, the government is also
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20 Gibraltar International
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