Portugal - a World Leader in Renewable Energy
In 2001, Portugal set themselves the target to use more renewable energy and to promote energy efficiency. By 2010 renewable energy accounted for 52% of the country’s electricity generation which showed a 28% increase in just 5 years. Portugal really is a world leader in renewable energy and it is important to look into the causes of their recent success and how other countries could follow their example.
The Drive for Energy Efficiency
As any visitor to the beautiful country of Portugal will realize from its ample sunshine and coastal wind that the country’s energy industry benefits greatly from its fantastic climate. The country truly had the desire to harness this natural power and improve their energy efficiency.
Portugal’s E4 program (Energy Efficiency and Endogenous Energies) was established with the primary aim to reduce gas emissions (particularly carbon dioxide) and to help counter the effects of climate change. It was also designed to improve the competitiveness of the Portuguese economy.
The first step was to introduce natural gas as a greener alternative to coal and oil which the country had massively relied upon in the past. It also invested significantly in wind, solar and hydro-electricity energy production. Portugal is now home to the world’s largest solar farm and Europe’s largest wind farm.
The E4 program aimed to open up the energy market in order to encourage competition and private investment. There has been a huge amount of local and foreign investment including energy companies such as the Finnish-owned AW Energy which are committed to making renewable power the primary source of energy. Project manager Jussi Akerberg said:
“In my dreams one day the sea will replace the oil field.”
In Portugal, it appears that this dream could become a reality.
The Long-term Effects and Benefits
There is no doubt that energy efficiency isn’t cheap. Electricity bills in Lisbon shot up by 16% in just 5 years after the E4 program was introduced. Despite this, prices will eventually level off and begin to decrease as fuel-free energy sources require little maintenance or upkeep. Portugal has no fossil fuels of its own and has used its abundant natural resources to produce its own energy that is safe, clean and domestically controlled. The country was once almost entirely reliant upon imported fossil fuels but now new projects like the Alto Minho windfarm and Moura solar power plant will allow it to shut down two conventional non-renewable energy using power plants.
In the first quarter of 2013, 70% of Portugal’s electricity was generated by renewable technology. Portugal has established itself as a world leader in renewable energy and it should be an example to other countries of what can be achieved in just a few years with the right amount of drive and ambition to make this world a greener place.
