One of the benefits of the current run of lousy weather is that Portugal has been self sufficient in renewable energy for three consecutive days.The Portuguese Association of Renewable Energies (APREN) said that from 16:00 on Friday, 9 March and 13.00 on Monday, 12 March, electricity consumption in Portugal was entirely from renewable resources.
According to data from the National Energy Network company, REN, "renewable electricity produced in that period was 521 GWh, while national electricity consumption was 408 GWh."
The main production was, not unsurprisingly, from wind power which managed to supply 65% of the nation’s needs during the period.
This makes it increasingly imperative to think of what happens in the summertime, to "encourage and evaluate the gains from the use of photovoltaic solar energy, so there is potential for significant summer energy input to be made from non-greenhouse gas sources," reads the APREN statement.
Renewable power plants in Portugal, whether hydro, wind, solar, geothermal or biomass, produce only 54% of the nation’s electricity needs per year.
This makes it possible to reduce imports of fossil fuels by close to €750 million per year, a situation that will not change should Portugal continue to develop a domestic oil business.
The pro-oil government continues to try and deceive the population but encouraging the assumption that any oil found off the coastline somehow will be pumped ashore at a lower price than other oil imports.
The growth sector is in renewables which already has created, "more than 56,000 direct and indirect jobs and exports of equipment, wind turbines, photovoltaic panels and electrical and electromechanical components, of €400 million per year," reads Wednesday’s statement.
The growth sector is in renewables which already has created, "more than 56,000 direct and indirect jobs and exports of equipment, wind turbines, photovoltaic panels and electrical and electromechanical components, of €400 million per year," reads Wednesday’s statement.
The latest three day period of self-sufficiency is not the first as in 2016, the same happened but for a four day period and received worldwide acclamation.
