Evaluation from Aurora Vitality Analysis reveals round 4.3 GW of photo voltaic initiatives secured grid-connection permits so far in Portugal. Information additionally reveals a file 1.2 GW of photo voltaic initiatives requested technology licenses within the first seven months of the yr, smashing earlier information.
Portugal has a complete of 4.3 GW of photo voltaic initiatives having secured grid-connection permits, in line with evaluation from Aurora Vitality Analysis, primarily based on information from the nation’s Directorate Basic for Vitality and Geology (DGEG).
Within the nation’s licensing course of, acquiring a grid capability allow represents the primary considered one of a three-step course of for a brand new photo voltaic venture. The subsequent step is an software for a technology license. As soon as that’s efficiently obtained, an exploitation license is a ultimate step. “DGEG’s database for technology licenses consists of 240 initiatives, 72% of that are photo voltaic,” Inês Gaspar, senior analyst at Aurora Vitality Analysis, advised pv journal.
Information additionally reveals that round 1.2 GW of photo voltaic initiatives requested technology licenses within the first seven months of 2022. For all of 2021, the determine was simply over 0.9 GW. Based on the cross-analysis of that database and the outcomes of photo voltaic auctions made by Aurora, photo voltaic capability awarded at auctions represents round 33% of the initiatives with a technology license. The remaining initiatives are primarily unsubsidized schemes, with just a few within the self-consumption regime.
“Most initiatives of the 2019 public sale have already requested technology licenses. Solely six are lacking, representing 446 MW,” mentioned Gaspar. “Nonetheless, just one venture from the 2020 public sale has requested a license to date, provided that the grid will solely be able to obtain them by June 2024.”
Following a decree of legislation established in January, the DGEG began publishing information on all technology licenses requested for electrical energy technology initiatives above 1 MW, which has added transparency to the licensing course of, in line with Gaspar.
After acquiring a technology license, a venture undergoes a collection of exams with a view to obtain the exploitation license, which is in the end wanted to start business operations. Based on Aurora’s evaluation, between 2016 and 2018 a venture obtained an exploitation license on common 2.9 years after the manufacturing license. That interval has decreased to 2 years between 2019 and 2020.