Portugal has already surpassed last year’s solar PV deployment figures, with 578MW added up until 31 July 2022, according to data from the Portuguese Directorate General for Energy and Geology (DGEG).
Most of the solar capacity added in 2022 came from the self-consumption production unit (UPAC) – a new law that came into force on 1 January 2020 that simplified licensing and rules applied to UPAC – which doubled its installed capacity from 342MW in 2021 to 695MW by the end of July 2022.
Try Premium for just $1
- Full premium access for the first month at only $1
- Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
- Cancel anytime during the trial period
Premium Benefits
- Expert industry analysis and interviews
- Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
- Exclusive event discounts
Or get the full Premium subscription right away
Or continue reading this article for free
The two southernmost regions of Portugal, Alentejo (856MW) and Algarve (390MW), have more than half of the installed capacity, with the city of Sines making itself a hub for green hydrogen projects with investments from Portuguese developer Madoqua Renewables and a consortium formed by Shell and Engie.
Since 2013 and up until the end of July, solar PV has had the fastest growth of renewables in Portugal, with 1,925MW added in nine years, followed by hydropower with 1,875MW.
While it took Portugal four years to get from 500MW to 1GW, the pace of solar PV additions has accelerated in the past years as it only needed two years to double the installed capacity to 2GW.
Earlier this year, the government waived environmental impact studies for projects under 50MW in an effort to accelerate PV deployment as it aims to increase the share of renewables in electricity production to 80% by 2026.
Installed capacity coming from renewables as of the end of July 2022 sits at 16,147MW, with almost 81% coming from hydropower and wind generation, and with solar PV reaching 2,224MW.
Moreover, the country’s latest solar floating auction showed an interest from developers in hybridising renewable assets despite negative bids posted in order to secure a grid connection.
