Portugal’s Solar PV Capacity Exceeds 1 GW

• According to DGEG statistics, the cumulative installed solar PV capacity of Portugal exceeded 1 GW at the end of October 2020
• Within 1^st 10 months of 2020, it added 124 MW contributing to the total of 1.03 GW out of 14.54 GW total renewable energy capacity of the country
• Maximum installed solar PV capacity of 513 MW was reported in Alentejo region till the end of reporting period

Till the end of October 2020, the cumulative installed solar PV capacity of Portugal reached 1.03 GW, according to the latest statistics released by the Direcao Geral de Energia e Geologia or Directorate General of Energy and Geology (DGEG).

This was solar's contribution out of total installed renewable energy capacity of 14.541 GW. Since reporting a cumulative of 906 MW at the end of 2019, Portugal added 124 MW within the first 10 months of 2020.

In terms of regional distribution, maximum capacity installed was reported as 513 MW in Alentejo region, followed by 166 MW in Central Portugal, 137 MW in Northern Portugal.

While the share of solar PV may seems rather small today, the Portuguese electricity system operator Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) in February 2020 was reported by local media to have received around 400 requests for 80 GW of renewable energy projects for grid connection with solar PV projects comprising the majority of it (see 80 GW RE Capacity Seeking Grid Connection In Portugal).

The government is also encouraging solar PV technology by way of auctions and has already held 2 rounds with record low price proposals — €0.01476 per kWh in the  1^st solar auction and €0.0112 per kWh in the 2^nd solar auction (see €0.011/kWh Record Low Bid In Portugal Solar Auction).