LISBON: Portugal’s energy mix in 2017, reducing the domestic electricity wholesale price by €18.3 ($22.32) per megawatt-hour (MWh), Kallanish Energy reports. Data released by the Portuguese renewables association APREN last week showed the share of renewables of the country’s electricity generation portfolio resulted in the decline of fossil fuel imports worth €770 millio ($939.06 million), saving consumers roughly €727 million ($886.62 million). Over 22 terawatt hours (TWh) were generated from renewable facilities, with wind taking the lead at 11.9 TWh; followed by hydro, 7.3 TWh; biomass, 2.8 TWh; and solar, 0.8 TWh. Carbon dioxide emssions were cut by 8.5 million metric tonnes, yet some believe the figure could be much larger. The benefits of renewables have exceeded their costs once more, making them the most cost-effective solution for the national electricity system,” said António Sá da Costa, President of APREN. “However, in 2017, the new power additions were residual, especially in the case of solar, which only grew 3%.” Francisco Ferreira, president of sustainability association ZERO, said “Portugal has to invest much more in energy efficiency and renewables to become carbon neutral in 2050, and this investment has to be accelerated.” He believes solar power is “crucial” to reach such a goal, and the country needs to work on removing obstacles preventing the growth in the installation of solar roof panels and other solar PV parks.
Central bank destroys 8,923 counterfeit banknotes
Banco de Portugal (BoP) withdrew 8,923 counterfeit banknotes from circulation in the second half of the year, 1,496 more than...
