Why Portugal matters for Europe's wind and solar future

On the Atlantic edge of Europe, Portugal has become one of the EU's clean-power front-runners. And our latest order comes from right there.

Portugal is not a big country, but when it comes to wind and sun it plays well above its size. Steady ocean winds sweep in along its long coastline and over its hills, while the south, from the Alentejo plains to the Algarve, enjoys some of the strongest sunshine in Europe. The country has already closed its last coal-fired power plants, and today most of its electricity comes from water, wind and sun.

71% renewable in a single year

According to the national grid operator REN, renewable sources covered 71% of Portugal's electricity consumption in 2024. Hydro supplied 28%, wind 27%, solar 10% and biomass 6%. Solar is growing fastest: about 1.5 GW of new renewable capacity was connected during 2024, and most of it was solar.

149 hours on wind, water and sun

Between 31 October and 6 November 2023, Portugal's renewable power plants produced more electricity than the whole country consumed for 149 hours in a row, about six days. In that time renewables generated 1,102 GWh against a consumption of 840 GWh, and the surplus was exported to Spain.

Why it matters for the whole EU

Portugal shows that a European country can run most of its grid on renewables and still keep the lights on. Its Atlantic position adds something few other countries have: open-ocean wind. Off Viana do Castelo, WindFloat Atlantic was one of Europe's first floating offshore wind farms, turbines anchored in deep water where fixed foundations are not possible. As connections across the Iberian Peninsula and into France grow, more of that clean power can flow to the rest of Europe.

Ambitious targets for 2030

Portugal's revised National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC 2030) raises the bar again. It aims for about 20.8 GW of solar power, 10.4 GW of onshore wind and 2 GW of offshore wind by 2030, which would make wind and solar the backbone of the national grid.

Our latest order: FHCLIMA in Caldas da Rainha

Our most recent order comes from FHCLIMA, a climatisation company in Caldas da Rainha, in Portugal's Oeste region, about an hour north of Lisbon and only a few kilometres from the Atlantic. They chose an Atlas vertical wind turbine. Heating and cooling specialists know better than anyone how much energy a building uses, so we are proud that they picked Atlas. Thank you, FHCLIMA, and welcome to the TESUP family.

Wind and sun, working together

Portugal's own grid proves the point: the best results come when wind and solar work as a team. The sun delivers in the middle of the day and in summer, while the wind often keeps blowing in the evening, at night and through the winter. Atlas is built for exactly that combination and works alongside solar panels, so a home or business can make use of both.

Sources: REN – Redes Energéticas Nacionais (2024 figures, reported by pv magazine); APREN; Portugal's National Energy and Climate Plan (PNEC 2030).