Carglass Portugal has installed at the Viseu – Coimbrões branch the company’s first Self-Consumption Production Unit (UPAC) in the country, in a pilot project that combines solar production, self-consumption and surplus sharing with nearby consumers, as announced in a press release.
According to the same source, the photovoltaic installation, developed in partnership with SES Energia, consists of 42 modules of 580 Wp, with a total installed capacity of 24.36 kWp. The estimated annual production is 32,670 kWh and could enable the agency to reach up to 65% energy autonomy through self-consumption.
The energy produced is primarily used by the agency itself during operating periods. When production exceeds consumption, notably during pauses and on weekends, the surplus can be shared within the energy community.
The first entity to benefit from this sharing will be the association “Os Amigos de Fragosela”, an IPSS founded in 1990 that provides social support to the local population, including home care services and a day center for the elderly.
The project aims to test a model of local production and use of renewable energy before any possible replication at other company facilities. According to Carglass, the analysis will be carried out on a case-by-case basis, with potential to scale beyond 2 MW of installed capacity across its agencies in Portugal.
“This project turns an intention of sustainability into a concrete solution, implemented in our operations and with the capacity to generate value beyond our facilities,” says Patrícia Reis, Head of Sustainability at Carglass. She adds that Viseu will be the starting point to assess the possibility of replicating the model at other locations.
SES Energia was responsible for the design and development of the energy community, for the investment and implementation of the plant, and ensures its management and operation as the Collective Self-Consumption Management Entity (EGAC).
For Bruno Fernandes, administrator and Development Director of SES Energia, energy communities bring renewable production closer to the places where energy is consumed, enabling a company to use the production in its own operation and make the surplus available to nearby consumers.
The project is framed by Decree-Law No. 15/2022, of January 14, which sets out the organization and operation of the National Electrical System and regulates, among other mechanisms, self-consumption and energy communities.
The inauguration of the installation took place on September 25, at the Carglass agency in Viseu. The pilot project will now be monitored and evaluated, with the aim of gathering data on its operation and results before any decision on applying it to other agencies.
Carglass has been present in Portugal since 1989 and is part of the Belron group. Among the environmental measures implemented by the company are glass repair as an alternative to replacement, glass recycling and the use of energy from renewable sources in its agencies.
