Wind power is a major source of energy in Portugal. At the end of 2020, wind power capacity in Continental Portugal was 5,456 MW. In 2020, wind power represented 23.7% of total electricity generation.
The record of wind power generation was achieved on November 22, 2019, with 103.1 GWh produced.
History + Wind power nameplate capacity in Portugal since 2000YearMW 2000 100 2001 131 2002 195 2003 296 2004 522 2005 1,022 2006 1,590 2007 2,413 2008 3,187 2009 3,590 2010 4,038 2011 4,379 2012 4,525 2013 4,724 2014 4,922 2015 4,922 2016 5,033 2017 5,313 2018 5,368 2019 2020 5,456 2021 5,628
In 1995 the law in Portugal was changed to permit wind energy to access the electricity grid. A 1999 change to the feed in tariff encouraged development, the tariff has been changed several times since then.
In 2013, Portugal installed 196 MW of wind power. In 2015, the MW of wind power didn't change in comparison with 2014, remaining at 4922,88 MW.
At the end of 2020, wind power capacity in Continental Portugal was 5,456 MW.
Regional trends + Installed windpower capacity (MW) Rank District 2008 2009 2013 1 Viseu 635.3 651.3 934.5 2 Coimbra 302.8 449.8 599.5 3 Vila Real 156.7 270.7 589.9 4 Castelo Branco 386.5 430.5 462.1 5 Lisboa 273.9 313.5 358.6 6 Viana do Castelo 308.8 356.0 342.6 7 Guarda 115.3 162.5 343.0 8 Leiria 172.9 252.3 272.6 9 Faro 75.0 135.0 209.2 10 Braga 121.0 147.9 148.3 11 Santarém 103.9 103.9 125.9 12 Porto 73.7 80.0 79.1 13 Bragança 14.0 74.0 74.0 14 Beja 10.0 26.0 50.0 15 Madeira 8.7 26.6 46.2 16 Aveiro 42.1 42.1 42.1 17 Açores 11.6 11.6 32.4 18 Setúbal 18.7 18.7 18.7 19 Évora 0.0 0.0 0.0 20 Portalegre 0.0 0.0 0.0 Portugal total (MW) 2832 3535 4731
Most of the Portuguese wind capacity is located in the north-northeast distritos. Viseu is the distrito with the largest installed capacity, followed by Coimbra, Vila Real and Castelo Branco.
Major wind farms The 240 MW Alto Minho Wind Farm in the Viana do Castelo district became fully operational in November, 2008 when Portugal's Economy Minister Manuel Pinho inaugurated it. At the time of completion it was Europe's largest on-shore wind farm. The wind farm began generating electricity in 2007, with production increasing as more wind turbines came online, reflecting the modular nature of wind farms. The wind farm consists of 68 Enercon E-82 2MW wind turbines and 52 Enercon E-70 E4 2MW turbines, totaling 136 MW and 104 MW, respectively. The wind farm will produce 552 GWh annually, avoiding 370,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Other major wind farms include Arada-Montemuro Wind Farm (112 MW), Gardunha Wind Farm (106 MW), Pinhal Interior Wind Farm (144 MW), Ventominho Wind Farm (240 MW).
Other wind farms include the Pampilhosa Wind Farm (114 MW), which uses Vestas V90 turbines; the Caramulo Wind Farm, with a capacity of 90 MW, using Enercon E-70 E4 and E82/2000 turbines; and the Candeeiros Wind Farm, with a capacity of 111 MW, using Vestas V90 turbines.
Offshore wind power Portugal had a 2 MW experimental offshore windfarm in the floating wind turbine WindFloat near the Aguçadoura Wave Farm in Póvoa de Varzim. It achieved successful testing. It was transferred to Viana do Castelo in 2016 with planned expansion, and was renamed Windfloat Atlantic. The Póvoa de Varzim site will foster a new technology.
This experimental wind farm was replaced by a commercial grade wind farm by the very same company, using 3 wind generators from Vestas model V164, for a total of roughly 25MW, operating since July 2020.
See also
List of large wind farms Renewable energy in the European Union Renewable energy in Portugal Solar power in Portugal Geothermal power in Portugal Renewable energy by country Renewable energy commercialization
References
External links
Renewable energy in Portugal