Renewables produced over 100% of Portugal's power in March

April 3 (Renewables Now) - Renewable power plants produced enough power to meet Portugal's entire electricity consumption in March, shows data from the Portuguese Association of Renewable Energy (APREN).

The country produced 4,812 GWh of green power, equal to

103.6% of electricity consumption that stood at 4,647 GWh. The previous record was of 99.2% in February 2014, APREN said today.

Of the green power produced in the period, 55% and 42% came from hydropower and wind, respectively. Overall, the daily share of renewables in demand stood at a minimum of 86% on March 7, and a maximum of 143% on March 11.

Thanks to renewables, the average price of electricity in the wholesale market fell to EUR 39.75 (USD 48.88) per MWh. The country also saved 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, saving EUR 21 million in emission allowances costs, APREN stated in its press release.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.23)