Portugal Runs on Renewable Energy for Four Consecutive Days

Technology

 | May 19, 2016 | By Lauren Boudreau

One European country is at the forefront of renewable energy.

Portugal announced on Wednesday they have just powered their entire country using renewable energy for four days straight, subsequently putting the rest of us to shame. The country used a mix of resources – wind, solar, and hydro power – to fuel its needs from 6:45 a.m. on Sunday May 7, to 5:45 p.m. on Wednesday May 11, according to The Guardian. The news comes just days after Germany also hit its renewable energy goals and had to pay people to use electricity. James Watson, CEO of SolarPower Europe, told The Guardian, “This is a significant achievement for a European country, but what seems extraordinary today will be commonplace in Europe in just a few years.” Francisco Ferreira, President of Portuguese NGO Zero, told The Independent that Portugal has been investing in renewable energy since the “beginning of the century” and that now it’s paying off, but this was the first time the country ran on renewable energy for so long. From The Guardian:

“As recently as 2013, Portugal generated half its electricity from combustible fuels, with 27% coming from nuclear, 13% from hydro, 7.5% from wind and 3% from solar, according to Eurostat figures. “By last year the figure had flipped, with wind providing 22% of electricity and all renewable sources together providing 48%, according to the Portuguese renewable energy association.”

While Portugal definitely set a new record for sustainable energy use, other countries aren’t far behind, with The Guardian reporting that in 2015, wind powered 42 percent of Denmark’s energy, 20 percent of Spain’s energy, 13 percent in Germany, and 11 percent in the U.K. According to Wikipedia, 13.44 percent of the United States’ power was renewable in 2015, using a mix of methods. Looks like America has some catching up to do.

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