Analysing Renewable Energy in the Azores
At Pico Analytics, we have been looking closely into the Azores Islands in Portugal, specifically at Ecotourism. This article will explore the renewable energy sector in the Azores as Portugal looks to take the lead many countries in valuable renewable sources for electricity production.
Renewable energy represents one of the biggest investments of the Portuguese government in recent years. The use of renewables has increased significantly since 1990’s. In 2010 45% of the country total energy was sourced by renewables – an increase of 28% in 5 years.
Source: Portuguese Association of Renewable Energies (APREN)
According to analysis done by the Sustainable Terrestrial System Association and the APREN, in 2016, Portugal was fully sustained by solar, hydro and wind power for 107 consecutive hours. This was a great accomplishment for the country and a big step towards pivoting into renewable energy supply. This also has positive impacts on the economy and long-term sustainability of the country as there is less need to import fossil fuels and a drastic reduction on the emission of greenhouse gases.
Portugal currently focuses on wind energy for government investment. Many efforts are being made to improve energy storage and in the future the country plans to export this energy. Similarly, even though at the moment solar energy is the least utilised, the government is looking into increasing its use, especially in the summertime.
Azores and Renewable Energy
The energy sector is extremely important for a low carbon economy and the mitigation of climate change. The Archipelago, a group of 9 islands, is rich in natural recourses which give access to clean energy.
Traditionally, the Azores Islands generated their power based on the consumption of fuel oil in thermal diesel power plants and in the early 1990’s nearly all of the electricity supply relied on fossil fuels. However, given the location and specific characteristics, such as the climate and the volcanic nature of the islands, the Azores saw a great opportunity to use renewable sources for power generation, namely geothermal, wind and hydro. The government, alongside the Azorean Energy Company (EDA, S.A.), have made investments in order to increase the production of renewable energy.
It is important to note that there is no electrical interconnection between the Islands and / or mainland Portugal, this means that each island has its own power generation system. After 1990 we can see a significant growth on the use of renewable sources, which currently provide 37% of the electricity needed in the Archipelago. Due to the volcanic nature of the islands, geothermal energy plays a predominant role in providing up to 24% of electricity in the region.The energy sector is extremely important for a low carbon economy and the mitigation of climate change. The Archipelago, a group of 9 islands, is rich in natural recourses which give access to clean energy.
The Azores Islands, due to its nature, have plenty of renewable sources that they can count on. In 2019, about 38% of the total energy produced was from renewable sources – 24% geothermal, followed by 9% wind energy, 4% hydro energy and 1% from other renewables
The government is looking to promote the energy efficiency to the advantage of the environment, economy, and Azorean families. In contribution to the sustainable development of the region, these are a few of the incentives created by the government:
- The Azorean Energy Strategy (EAE 2030) has the objective to elevate the quality patterns of the energy sector and promote actions to assure clean and accessible energy to all by 2030, essential for a good economic development and well-being of the population.
- The Regional Action Plan for Efficient Energy (PRAEE) was created hand in hand with the EAE and aims to optimize and create synergies between sectors in order to develop a decarbonized economy. Such plan identifies the main economic sectors that use energy, such as: industrial, commerce and services, public administration, transports, fishing and agriculture, and implements actions to made in accordance with the industries specifics.
- The Azorean Plan for Electric Mobility (PMEA) aims for sustainable mobility with innovative solutions, in order to incentivise the decrease in use of zero emission vehicles.
Renewable and Endogenous Energy Sources
The Azores are advantaged by the volcanic characteristics of their islands generating geothermal energy which can be used to source of renewable energy. The first pilot project for the geothermal energy was in 1980, at Pico Vermelho in São Miguel Island.
At the moment, there are three geothermal centres working, producing a total energy of 34.4 MW per year, which, in 2019, was responsible for 23.6% of the total electricity produced in the archipelago. There are two plants in São Miguel Island: Pico Vermelho (13 MW) and Ribeira Grande (16.6 MW) that have reached values up to 40% of the total electricity in the island and in 2019 these two plants generated 37.5% of energy. In Terceira Island you can find Pico Alto Geothermal central (4.7 MW), which generated around 12.5% of the Island’s total energy requirements.
The Azores first experimented with wind energy in 1988 with the installation of wind turbines in Figueiral, in Santa Maria Island. In 2019, 9% of the region’s energy was generated by nine wind turbine parks spread around eight of the islands, which are currently working.
The first hydro energy project was inaugurated in 1900 in São Miguel Island. Currently, there are 12 hydroelectric plants - two plants and 10 mini plants - spread across the Azores: in São Miguel (5.03 MW), Terceira (1.43 MW), Faial (0.32 MW) and Flores (1.63 MW). In Flores specifically, this resource was responsible for 47% of the energy produced and 3,6% for the Azores in total. All of these are run-off river plants with a limited amount of storage and quite scarce during summer.
Lastly, there are a few photovoltaic plants for solar energy on six of the nine islands, providing less than 0.1% of the total energy. this source of power seems to be growing but the sources available now are mostly domestic.
Below are mentioned a few projects that have been imperative for the development renewable energy sources in the last years:
- Proenergia is a project created by the Azorean government aiming to give out incentives for the production of solar energy. The aim is to incentive the community to build plants in order to create renewable energy for auto-consumption, with the ability to sell the extras back to the grid. For this, the government will return at least 25% of the investment on solar panels, for the purchasing price and installation of equipment.
- The European OWC Wave Power Plant was a pilot project financed by the European Commission, the two Portuguese utility companies – EDP and EDA – and by the Portuguese State, carried out by a team from Portugal, UK and Ireland. Since 2007, WavEC (Wave Energy Center), a private non-profit association, has been responsible for its operation. Interests in building the wave power plant can be traced back to late 1980’s from the EDA although it was only possible with the involvement and funding from the European Commission beginning in 1992 and the plant was completed in 1999. The plant was located on the Pico Island, a good location due to the specific geographical characteristics. This place is also Portugal’s highest mountain (2351m) along with spectacular views, it displays easy road accessibility as well as a nearby grid connecting point. In 2018, the plant partially collapsed due to strong wave activity and was closed down. The power plant has made a valuable contribution to the research and development to wave energy. During its lifetime it has attracted plenty of valuable attention from international researchers and over 100 scientific articles derived from its study.
In conclusion, there is a significant increase in the generation of renewable energy in Portugal and, specifically in The Azores. The government is continuously investing and looking to implement new projects to expand the use of renewables in the Archipelago, utilising innovative strategies, assuring security and quality. With a lot of hard work and research it is evident that The Azores are moving towards a more sustainable future. Pico Analytics will continue to monitor progress in the region.
Azores Geothermal Park
