A. Pires Lourenço & Filhos, S.A., a reference company in the production of ham based in Castelo Branco, manages to save 39.6% on its energy bill, thanks to the implementation of solar energy in its manufacturing units, as well as reducing its environmental footprint .

Founded in 1955, the charcuterie sector company - owner of the Lourenço, Reserva do Lavrador, Casa do Monte, Degusto and Casa Grande brands - continues to invest to add value to the region.

It established, three years ago, a partnership with Solcor Portugal for energy efficiency in its two factories, having managed to save, to date, more than 150 thousand euros. In these three years of operation, the company has already seen its first solar installation yield savings of 39.6% in energy costs.

The first installation of solar panels took place at the Castelo Branco unit in March 2020, during the pandemic period, and was completed in May of the same year. The second photovoltaic project was developed at the factory located in Cebolais de Cima, in 2022.

In the first factory, with 243 kWp of power, 1128 MWh of energy have been generated so far, with 86% of that total being destined for self-consumption. In the second plant, with a capacity of 307 kWp, the installation operates on a 100% self-consumption basis, without injecting excess energy into the network.

Government support, such as the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), has driven the adoption of renewable energies in Portugal, making the implementation of photovoltaic projects more accessible.

A. Pires Lourenço & Filhos has been supplying some of the main distribution chains with its brands for over 25 years. Across borders, it is possible to find the company's products in countries such as Angola, Cape Verde, Croatia, Spain, England, France and Sweden.

Source: A. Pires Lourenço & Filhos, S.A. / Solcor Portugal / AIP