Portugal

The Portuguese utility expands its renewable energy business – traditionally dominated by wind – with a new storage station in Romania and the acquisition of a start-up, which offers off-grid home solar solutions in Bangladesh.

The car manufacturer is deploying its second island project this year. Smart EV charging – and second-life EV batteries for stationary storage – are expected to help increase self-consumption, reduce carbon footprints and improve energy independence. The news comes amid a rising uptake of EVs in Europe.

Portugal’s Directorate General for Energy and Geology is reviewing another big bunch of “unsubsidized” solar schemes.

Including the latest three projects, the country’s total approved large-scale solar capacity has surpassed 1 GW. The developer is Escalabis Solar and total investment is expected to reach €81 million.

The heatwave across Western Europe saw wind power 20% lower than usual while solar irradiance was 20% above average, according to Vaisala, a provider of measurement systems and equipment for meteorology. If this balancing effect is confirmed by further analysis, the technologies may ensure future energy supply by providing a diversified, ‘climate-resilient’ portfolio.

The solar plant was commissioned last week in Ourique, southern Portugal. The project was developed by UK-based renewable energy company Welink and Chinese engineering services provider China Triumph International Engineering (CTIEC).

The blockchain technology, which was developed by Austrian company, Riddle&Code, is intended to help the Portuguese power provider measure the electricity consumption of each user who owns and operates a solar array installed under net metering.

Spain, Portugal, France and the European Commission have signed a deal to increase the capacity of the energy interconnection between the Iberian Peninsula and Europe. Currently, the interconnection capacity is 6,000 MW and, thus, far from the 15% goal set in 2015.

The plan is necessary to the further development of big solar parks in the southern part of the country. Overall, €474 million will be invested in grid enhancement over the next four years.

The Spanish renewable energy company will sell power to a local glass container producer for a year and a half. The electricity will be provided by its 45 MW solar park in southern Portugal, as well as by other wind power facilities.