The first half of this year saw only 41,315 m² of solar thermal collector area installed in Portugal, a decrease of 35% compared to the same period last year. This is the result of a survey which was carried out by the national solar industry association, Apisolar, among solar...
In the last quarter of 2011, the Portuguese solar thermal market has seen a sudden spike in sales, allowing the newly installed collector area per year to surpass 125,000 m² (88 MWth). The surprising development seems to be a result of two tax changes that have taken place at...
Apisolar, the Portuguese national solar association, expects a 30% decrease in newly installed collector area this year. The forecast until the end of 2011 is 127,000 m2 (89 MW), whereas around 180,000 m2 of collector area were newly installed in 2010. This year's low...
Two months after the new government came to power, its strategy for solar energy still remains a mystery: The new subsidy programme barely mentions renewable energies, but focuses on energy efficiency instead. Last year's two subsidy schemes for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), as...
The Portuguese government continues its support for the solar thermal sector with an incentive programme for non-profit entities and sports institutions. Announced this June (see link http://www.solarthermalworld.org/node/1329), it was launched...
The government's announcement to invite tenders for a new subsidy scheme was met with mixed feelings throughout the industry: It represents a great chance, but comes at a wrong time.
Photo: Vulcano
The European renewable energy directive states an ambitious national target for Portugal: The southern European country is to reach a renewable energy share of 31 % in its total energy demand for 2020. At the same time, the government has shown a strong commitment to renewable energy...
At the moment, the most important factor for the sales success in Portugal is to either be able to join the incentive programme – or to be left out of it. Only seven companies acquired the programme's membership so far (as of mid-May): The three Portuguese brands Norquente, Openplus and...
