PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC
United Nations of Environtment Programme Accelerating Renewable Energy Transition for Sustainable Development
“I think that the world is in the middle of a huge transition that we have to make to renewable energy. We have to transition away from fossil fuels very, very
quickly.”
- Josh Fox is a American movie director and environmental activist.
Renewable energy is energy provided by nature that will not run out and can be sustainable if properly handled, such as wind, water, solar heat, and sea waves. The government has prioritized the energy transition from fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas to renewable energy because fossil fuels have various negative consequences such as increased carbon emissions that cause climate change, fires, and many other natural disasters. As a result, several governments and international organizations have enacted rules and regulations to encourage the growth of renewable energy. Portugal is one of Europe's clean energy leaders, obtaining 60% of its electricity from renewable sources.
European countries are progressively putting renewable energy at risk as gas prices set a new high in 2022 as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's largest gas supplier. Portugal has a range of renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, waves, water, and geothermal, but it also uses fossil resources, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, to meet its people's energy needs. Because domestic primary energy production in Portugal is dependent on renewable energy sources, Portugal has seen a decrease in the importation of fossil fuels, reducing Portugal's reliance on foreign markets while also lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the initiatives made by Portugal to lessen its reliance on fossil fuels is the pursuit of hydropower electricity. Portugal has abundant water resources, including oceans and lakes, which can be used to generate hydroelectric power. Hydropower makes a significant contribution to meeting Portugal's energy needs, but it is insufficient due to rising energy demand from various sectors such as industry, transportation, and families, all of which require diversified energy sources. So, even if the usage of water energy alone is insufficient to meet the Portuguese people's energy needs. This country requires a more broad mix of energy sources. Portugal needs a more diverse combination of energy sources.
Portugal has embraced and developed several methods to boost its energy supply. Wind energy is well suited to Portugal's natural environment, and the country has developed many wind farms in coastal or hilly places. Apart from wind, Portugal
produces wave energy as a renewable energy source, however this power is still underutilized globally. By 2020, renewable energy will account for more than half of Portugal's electricity consumption, with wind and wave being the primary suppliers.
Portugal is therefore innovating by integrating these two energies in the European Scaleable Offshore Renewable Energy Sources (EU-SCORES) project, which will be located off the coast of Viana do Castelo.
Portugal has several measures to drive the deployment of renewable electricity generation, including feed-in tariffs and a new system for allocating grid connection capacity that includes solar PV auctions. Since this new system was established in 2019, network capacity reserve titles have been granted to over 1.95 GW of renewable energy projects (primarily solar PV, along with some wind and battery storage). The government approved 1.16 GW of new hydropower capacity and major expansions of electricity infrastructure to support the integration of renewables and better interconnection with Spain. The government is also taking steps to increase the flexibility of the electricity system, including the deployment of smart grids and pilot projects for dynamic tariffs and demand response market participation.
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