Portugal hits monthly record among signs of wind and solar expansion across Europe
Brussels, 18 May – New data from energy think tank Ember reveals that Portugal reached a major milestone of producing more than half (51%) of its electricity from wind and solar in April. The previous monthly record high was 49%, set in December 2021.
Portugal’s record of 50% from wind and solar comes despite relatively modest wind generation. Strong deployment of solar capacity pushed solar generation to an all-time high of 360 GWh in April, significantly higher than the previous record of 300 GWh in July and August of 2022. Last year, the country installed 0.9 GW of solar photovoltaics, increasing its solar capacity by more than 50% to 2.5 GW.
The increase in solar generation, electricity imports from Spain and lower demand were able to shield Portugal from the negative effects of low hydro generation and kept the share of fossil generation to just 24% in April. Droughts throughout last year and in spring 2023 put a stress on many mediterranean countries. Portugal was affected by low output from hydro power stations, with droughts also impacting Spain and Italy.
