Endividamento - Antonio Gaspar

Portugal ahead of many countries in clean energy. 

Portugal has demonstrated its leading role in clean energy by supplying the country’s entire electricity needs solely from renewal sources for a record four days in a row. It is being acclaimed internationally as a landmark in the shift from fossil fuels.

The country’s consumption was fully covered for 107 continuous hours with hydro-power plants, wind turbines, solar panels, biofuels and geothermal heat. No fossil fuels were involved.

“This is a significant achievement for a European country, but what seems extraordinary today will be commonplace in Europe in just a few years,” said James Watson, the CEO of SolarPower Europe.

Last year, more than half of the Portugal’s electricity came from renewals, though this was down from 63% in 2014 due to drought and a drop in hydro output that normally accounts for about a third of naturally replenished sources.

The International Energy Agency says in its 2016 review that “Portugal should be commended for its achievements and its ambitions in large-scale deployment of renewable energy.”

The average levels of electricity generated from renewables in the 28 countries of the EU is much less than in Portugal, which is far ahead of many other countries including the United States.

Less than 13.5% of the domestically produced electricity in the US last year came from renewables, the rest mainly from coal and natural gas.