On September 14th the municipality of Aljezur, in partnership with the SANDY-Regional Agency of energy and environment of the Algarve, received the Group of European partners that integrate the project Nearly Zero-Energy Sports Facilities.

This is a project which aims to assess the energy situation of a set of 18 sports facilities of the European Union, more specifically Portugal, Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus, Ireland, Denmark and Croatia, to subsequently seek to define and implement a package of innovative energy efficiency solutions to reduce more than 50% of current energy consumption.

With thanks to photographer, David Pickering, who shares some shots of the September fire aftermath in Monchique lest we forget the vast area consumed and the extraordinary effort from local bombeiros, air support and the Army to put out the flames and to stop them re-igniting.

If you have photos of this event that you want to share, please send them to fire@algarvedailynews.com

Portugal is set to begin phasing out support for utilities generating renewable power, a top government official said, as Lisbon tackles high electricity prices that are hampering efforts to bolster its struggling economy.

The secretary of state for energy, Jorge Seguro Sanches, told Reuters there will be no abrupt changes to contracts or legislation, while the eight-month old government will keep promoting renewable energy and push for power links with central Europe and Morocco in north Africa to develop energy exports.

Hot enough yet?

Tomorrow, Friday 5th August, the temperature across the Algarve is set to hit 42°C, (107.6°F) according to the Portuguese weather service which predicts a 'significant rise' in temperature from the 5th to the 9th of August.

Unsurprisingly, the heat is due to "a warm, dry air-flow from the east.”

Electricity consumption in the country was fully covered by solar, wind and hydro power in an extraordinary 107-hour run that lasted from 6.45am on Saturday 7 May until 5.45pm the following Wednesday, the analysis says.

And EDP made about 5 Billion euros profit last year !! SO WHY DO OUR EDP BILLS NOT GO DOWN !!??

Biodynamic Farming in CSA model - The Hortas do Vale is a project of fresh and processed vegetable production and distribution inspired on CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

This year a small part of Vale da Lama farm will be transformed into a vegetable garden. Mattia, the gardener, has been working on this spot since March and we can already see the change. The production is partially located to the Ecoresort and Summer camps, but also we are creating a group of people that supports a local farm in a half or long term compromise. This accord guarantees quick access to fresh, local and seasonal products from a reliable farmer, creating a deeper connection with the land. In fact, the farmer would be always available for reconsidering members’ needs and happy to show the field together with the farming techniques whenever required.

ASMAA has announced that they it is very thankful that the Prime Minister Antonio Costa had made himself available to delegations from anti-oil activist groups and associations during his visit to Loulé in his capacity of Prime Minister and as head of the Socialist Party on Saturday the 14th May.

In what is probably a first in Portugal, the fact that the Prime Minister agreed to meet activist group leaders is in itself a very unusual gesture on the part of any government, but in Portugal it is especially relevant. 

ASMAA’s management team is truly thankful for having been given that opportunity, and to be able to pose some pertinent questions.

We all know the problems that our planet’s environment faces. And we all know the advantages of sustainable energies. However, what few people know is that since 2002 the Portuguese administration decided to open several public tenders for the prospection, exploration and production of oil in some regions of the country.

As an answer to this decision, we are a group of Portuguese citizens, working on cinema and advertising, that wants through a three minute film to inform all who ignore what as been done and worst what will be made, in the matter of prospection, exploration and production of oil in Portugal, which will have its biggest focus in the Algarve region and ending with a message to the global population.