Construction of the 11 megawatt Serpa solar power plant began in June 2006 and was completed as planned in January 2007, at the cost of 58 million euro. The Serpa solar power plant facility, located in Serpa, in Portugal's Alentejo agricultural region, 200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Lisbon. The plant uses SunPower subsidiary PowerLight's PowerTracker system to follow the sun's daily path across the sky and generate more electricity than conventional fixed-mounted systems. The plant provides enough electricity to supply approximately 8,000 homes.

The Serpa solar power plant was developed by the Portuguese company Catavento and it incorporates photovoltaic modules from SunPower, Sanyo, Sharp and Suntech. General Electric Financial Services provided the financing for the project as part of its Ecomagination program.

Generating electricity from the sun with no fuel costs or emissions, the Serpa solar power plant is on a 60-hectare (150-acre) hillside and is a model of clean power generation integrated with agriculture. The project supports a European Union initiative by saving more than 30,000 tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions compared to equivalent fossil fuel generation. The EU agreed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020, from 1990 levels.

Portugal relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, and its carbon dioxide emissions have increased 34 percent since 1990, which is among the fastest rates in the world. To address this, the country is implementing some of the world's most advanced incentives for installing renewable energy. The Serpa solar power plant project relies on a preferential tariff mandated by the Portuguese government.

Solar power enjoys widespread support in Portugal, with the backing of 77 percent of the population, according to a European Commission study published in January 2007.

The Moura Photovoltaic Power Station (Amareleja Photovoltaic Power Station) is a large photovoltaic power station in Amareleja, in the municipality of Moura, Portugal. It is one of the largest power stations of its kind, and is built in one of the sunniest regions in Europe, also one of the most economically depressed region. Its construction involves two stages, the first stage was completed in 2008 after 13 months, the second stage will be completed by 2010. The entire project topped a total cost of €250 million.

Phase-2 of the project involves the construction of a further 20 MW of solar panels. It will occupy an area of 618 acres (250 ha), and will be capable of producing 93 GWh of electrical energy annually (10 MW average - equivalent to the electricity consumption of 15,000 Europeans).

The power station will have an installed capacity of 62 MWp, with a total of over 376,000 solar panels. Approximately 190,000 panels (32 MW) are fitted on fixed structures, and 52,000 panels (10 MW) on fixed on single-axis trackers.

A €7.6 million solar panel factory, located in Moura, was constructed by Acciona, which will provide panels for the second stage of the station construction. Its future production will be targeted at the international market, with a capacity of producing 24 MW of solar panels annually.

Moura Photovoltaic Power Station
Country	Portugal
Coordinates	38°11′20″N 07°12′08″W / 38.18889°N 7.20222°W / 38.18889; -7.20222Coordinates: 38°11′20″N 07°12′08″W / 38.18889°N 7.20222°W / 38.18889; -7.20222
Status	Operational
Commission date	Phase-1: 2008 Phase-2: 2010
Location	Amareleja
Fuel type	Solar
Technology	Photovoltaics
Power generation information
Installed capacity	Phase-1: 42 MW Phase-2: 20 MW