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At COP26, which starts on Sunday in Glasgow, the issue of reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be at the center of discussions. Portugal can serve as a role model. Since 2005, this country has been a member of the European Union that has reduced carbon dioxide emissions the most. The reason: innovative facilities in the field of renewable energies. Reportage.
twenty kilometers from PortugalIn the middle of the ocean, three giant wind turbines stand. One of them is 190 meters high and is the tallest in the world. But thanks to this site it does not cause any noise or visual pollution.
To stand, these wind turbines are mounted on floating platforms anchored to the sea floor with chains. Innovative systemcreated by the Portuguese company Windplus, which allows for the first time in the country’s history to produce energy thanks to offshore wind currents.
“So far, we have not been able to use the offshore wind. However, it is stronger and more stable than the dry wind. It is better for the machinery activity,” Jose Pinheiro, project manager, explains to France 24.
Floating solar panels
Dozens of kilometers away, in the province of Braga, the Alto Rabagao hydroelectric dam is home to another innovation: floating solar panels. The first of its kind in Europe.
Key feature of this project: The electrical grids created for the dam can also be used for solar panels.
There is complementarity between these sustainable energy. In general, when there is wind, there is little sun and vice versa, ”explains Felipe Guerra to France 24, project director of the EDP (Energias de Portugal).
A new facility, twenty times larger than this, is soon to be built.
Thanks to these infrastructures, renewable energies have represented an increasing share of energy consumption in the country since the first decade of this century. “It is constantly improving. Today, of all the electricity consumed in Portugal, 65% comes from ‘renewable energies'”, welcomes Pedro Amaral Jorge, President of APRENE (Portuguese Association for Renewable Energies).
Lisbon predicts that these green energies will fully meet its electricity needs by 2040. Ambitious goals shared by Sweden, another good European student in this field.
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