Portugal's total PV installed capacity in the first seven months of 2022 is 1.26GW
According to the analysis of Aurora Energy Research, a research institution, up to now, about 4.3 GW photovoltaic projects in Portugal have obtained grid connection licenses. The analysis data also shows that in the first seven months of this year, Portugal’s photovoltaic projects applying for power generation license reached a record 1.2GW, breaking the previous record.
According to the company’s analysis based on the data of the Portuguese General Directorate of Energy and Geology (DGEG), a total of 4.3 GW of photovoltaic projects in Portugal have been grid connected.
In the licensing process in this country, obtaining the grid capacity license is the first step in the three steps of photovoltaic project installation, the second step is to apply for the power generation license, and obtaining the development license is the last step. In ê s Gaspar, senior analyst of Aurora Energy Research, said, “The power generation license database of the Portuguese General Directorate of Energy and Geology (DGEG) includes 240 energy projects, 72% of which are photovoltaic projects.”
The analysis data also shows that in the first seven months of 2022, about 1.2GW photovoltaic projects in Portugal have applied for power generation licenses. In 2021, only 0.9 GW of photovoltaic projects will apply for power generation license. According to the comprehensive analysis of the database and Aurora Energy Research’s auction results of photovoltaic systems, the photovoltaic systems obtained in the auction account for about 33% of the photovoltaic projects with power generation licenses. The remaining projects are mainly non subsidy plans, and a few belong to self consumption projects.
Gaspar said, “Most of the photovoltaic projects auctioned in 2019 have applied for and obtained power generation licenses. Only six photovoltaic projects with a total installed capacity of 446MW have not obtained power generation licenses. However, so far, only one photovoltaic project in the 2020 auction has obtained power generation licenses.”
Gaspar said that after the promulgation of a decree in January this year, the Portuguese General Administration of Energy and Geology (DGEG) began to publish all data of power generation licenses applied for power generation projects above 1MW, which increased the transparency of the license process.
After obtaining the power generation license, the project needs a series of tests to obtain the development license, and finally needs to obtain the development license to start the installation and realize commercial operation. According to the analysis of Aurora Energy Research, from 2016 to 2018, the average time for a project to obtain a development license after obtaining a power generation license is 2.9 years. From 2019 to 2020, this time has been reduced to two years.