SunPower products are manufactured by Maxeon Solar Technologies and sold by its subsidiary SunPower Corporation Australia Pty Ltd., independent from the US-based SunPower Corporation.
An archipelago situated between North Africa and Sicily, the Maltese Islands have served as a Mediterranean crossroads since the earliest civilizations. Today, Malta has the highest population density in the EU, and its energy needs are rising every year. Its total reliance on energy imports and ample sunshine make it an ideal setting for solar energy – but also one of the most challenging in terms of the elements.
With 300 days of sunshine per year, high dust and salinity from the surrounding seas and strong winds, Malta puts any solar panel to the test. In such a climate, solar panels with proven durability and resistance to temperature fluctuations are best for optimising production.
SunPower installations in Malta have surged. Malta has become the #4 per capita solar market in the EU1Source: EUROBSERV''ER – April 2019, and has grown more than 8x since 20122Source: Wood Mackenzie, Global Solar Outlook, 2019. The rapid growth is helping Malta achieve its goal of 10% renewable energy by 2020, and also creating a highly competitive solar market.
SunPower partner Alternative Technologies has become a renewable energy leader in the Maltese Islands, installing SunPower systems for a wide range of customers seeking the highest quality solar for their homes, businesses and government buildings. The latest SunPower installations include the Maltese Parliament, the University of Malta, the MUZA Museum of Art and Oiltanking Malta LTD''s business on the country''s pristine coastline.
The islands'' historic sites date back to 5900 BC, and even today the country''s largest city, Valletta, has some of the oldest free-standing buildings in the world. In recommending solar technology for a city that''s also designated a World Heritage Site, Mario''s team knew they needed an aesthetically pleasing, extremely reliable solution.
The team recommended SunPower for its durability, energy efficiency, and its performance at higher temperatures. The customers agreed.
"Our choice of SunPower panels arises from the fact that we have limited space available across our buildings, and therefore we wanted to maximise the energy generation in that space," said Joseph Micallef, professor at the University of Malta, who served as project manager on the university''s 11 solar projects, shown below. "It was also very important that we choose solar panels with a low temperature coefficient since we have very high temperatures 6 months of the year."
A high-efficiency SunPower panel addresses both the temperature fluctuations and the space constraints so common across European cities, because a smaller number of panels can be installed and deliver more energy than conventional panels.
"Apart from trying to reach a high power per square metre on the limited rooftops we also had to work in an environment that had a lot of moving shadows across the roofs as well as very close proximity to the sea," Mario notes.
SunPower''s sleek design and high reliability are well-suited to the needs of Malta, where solar holds much promise for the islands'' future.
"Renewable energy is important to Malta because it helps people become energy independent and lead a more sustainable way of life," Mario concludes.
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The Maltese Islands are known for white limestone cliffs, iconic architecture and a blissfully hot, sunny climate. What they''re not yet known for, ironically, is solar energy.
In a place that''s perfect for solar, Malta is racing to meet its EU target of 10 percent renewables by 2020, partially due to a severely limited space. Rooftop solar in the densely populated capital of Valletta can also be hindered by shade from other buildings or roof obstructions.
So when the Maltese government was exploring alternatives for a rooftop solar system on its new parliament building, performance was paramount. Designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano, the understated, flat-roofed building is as much symbol as edifice. It replaces the much more ornately designed parliament building that stood at the centre of the capital city for centuries: "Perhaps the building''s understatement is deliberate – a desire to flatten hierarchies between the people and their representatives," mused one architectural reviewer.
Any solar installed on the parliament''s roof had to meet several objectives: It must partially offset the building''s considerable energy needs; it must be as efficient as possible so as not to take up the entire roof; and it must withstand extremely high temperatures day after day, without significant loss in performance.
"Apart from servicing the energy needs of the parliament building, the system needed to be aesthetically pleasing, invisible from the ground, and an integral part of the architecture itself," said Mario Cachia, CEO of Alternative Technologies Ltd., a SunPower partner.
In a hot climate like Malta''s, a low temperature coefficient combined with high efficiency is the proverbial solar win-win. By the laws of thermodynamics, solar panels convert sunlight into either energy or heat. Higher efficiency panels generate more energy and therefore less heat, thereby running cooler. SunPower panels not only start off at a higher efficiency but also hold their power as the ambient heat rises better than most conventional solar panels. This enables SunPower panels to generate more power – and electricity cost savings – than conventional panels in increasingly hot conditions.
In the last 18 months (April 2017 – Sept 2019), the Maxeon®-based system has delivered 6% more energy than forecast despite the harsh conditions.
Malta''s experience is instructional for other nations seeking alternative sources of energy as the planet''s climate changes: Choosing solar is a step in the right direction; choosing the right kind of solar is a way to ensure a more secure, resilient future.
The Energy Unit at the Energy & Water Agency supports the Government in implementing energy policies that ensure a secure, affordable and sustainable energy system in Malta. We place the needs of our country''s citizens and economic growth at the centre of our energy agenda. And, we also participate in discussions with EU institutions to ensure Malta has a voice when energy legislation is drafted at a European level.
Malta aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 as per the European Green Deal, which is pushing for each member of the EU to secure an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Therefore, with the support of the Energy & Water Agency, Malta is joining forces with other EU Member States to reach this target.
To do this, Malta aims to significantly reduce its carbon emissions through its continued use of viable renewable energy sources. Our goal is to increase Malta''s share of renewable energy sources and decrease the overall energy intensity of its economy through a range of initiatives that focus on utilising indigenous sustainable energy resources across specific locations.
The security of Malta''s energy supply is a key area of focus for us. Being a small island, Malta has a small electricity supply system and only a single electricity supplier (Enemalta plc) and depends heavily on imported energy sources.
Malta also has no natural gas pipeline interconnection with neighbouring countries. Notwithstanding Malta''s spatial and infrastructural limitations, the Energy & Water Agency aims to maximise the country''s use of renewable energy sources.
In recent years, Malta has transformed its energy mix used for electricity generation from one based on heavy fuel oil and gasoil to a more sustainable combination of natural gas, electricity imports via the Malta-Italy subsea connection, and increased use of renewable energy sources.
Aware that natural gas, however clean, is a transition fuel (a substitute, lower-carbon fuel), Malta''s focus has since shifted to the deployment of renewable energy sources, as well as the addition of another electricity interconnector with Sicily.
The National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) provides Malta''s national energy strategy, developed in line with Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action. This document also guides Malta''s contribution to achieving the Energy Union''s 2030 objectives and targets in the areas of decarbonisation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, security of supply, and research and innovation.
Malta will continue to actively pursue energy efficiency measures with the aim of reducing energy demand of households and businesses, create awareness among energy users and induce energy saving behaviour. In the end-use sectors, such as the energy used in households and businesses, EWA foresees that Malta will predominantly pursue electrification, such as via continued deployment of heat pump technologies.
The same applies for the transport sector, where electrification of light vehicles and public transportation will be complimented by higher blends of biofuels at least until 2030.
Sustainable energy is the future, so it is now vital that we move away from relying on depletable sources that harm the environment (such as fossil fuels). Instead, we must harness the power of renewable energy sources that do not compromise the lives and needs of generations to come. Learn More
The EU Directive 2012/27/EU, which promotes energy efficiency, defines ''efficiency'' as the ratio of the output of performance, service, goods or energy to the input of energy. Malta has the third-lowest final energy consumption per capita of all EU member states, and there are several reasons for this. The first is that the Maltese are far less reliant on heating homes and places of work than many other, more northerly EU countries. Learn More
A secure energy supply is crucial. Should Malta ever lose a core piece of power generation infrastructure (for example, its subsea interconnector with Italy), the system needs to be resilient enough to still deliver electricity to every home and business that requires it. For this reason, the Maltese Government, through Enemalta, carries out risk assessments to better understand the resilience of the current power system and the potential impact of unforeseen faults. Learn More
Providing secure, affordable and clean energy solutions is essential to the quality of life of the Maltese population. This is why the Energy & Water Agency works to ensure competitive electricity prices for households and the commercial and industrial sectors. Learn More
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