Wind power in the Minho Valley and Portal das Energias Renováveis

In Diario do Minho today was news about the inauguration of the first 2 out of 10 wind power parks to erected in the Minho Valley until 2008. The company EEVM aim to make Minho an exporter of electricity.

Quote of the summary:
" Os primeiros dois parques eólicos, dos 10 previstos para o Vale do Minho até 2008, foram ontem inaugurados, sem a pompa anunciada dada a ausência do Secretário de Estado da Industria e da Inovação, mas com reiterados votos de «bons ventos» para o projecto que vai tornar a região exportadora de electricidade. Nuno Ribeiro da Silva, presidente da Empreendimento Eólicos do Vale do Minho, sublinhou que a entrada em funcionamento dos dois primeiros parque do maior investimento europeu em energia alternativa constitui um forte contributo para «mitigar a vulnerabilidade energética que o país tem»." Diario do Minho 2006-02-10.

This is great news!
Don't you think?

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I also found the Portuguese Portal das Energias Renováveis.

With the good opportunities in Portugal for both solar and wind power one also would hope that they (the constructors) also start to make energy efficient houses. Everyone knows that the houses in Portugal really are amazingly bad with regards to energy efficiency. (single-glased window with aluminium profiles and complete lack of insulation).

There is a program regarding this O Programa para a Eficiência Energética em Edifícios. One can only hope that the architects, public and private procurers, architect and engineering schools, the constructors and producers take active part in this project.

Looking at ads for apartments and houses in Braga one usually do not see more with this respect than that they have "janelas anti-ruidos" - sound proof windows, especially in the buildings within a few (ca 10) meters from the big roads.

In Portugal ca 13% of the energy consumption is done in private homes:

• 50% - cooking and heating of sanitation water
  
• 25% - lights and electrical appliances
  
• 25% - heating and cooling
  

Eficiência Energética em Edifícios
See the brochure at the bottom the page (in Portuguese).

With better insulation against heat energy transport (= energy loss) the first and the last can be decreased. Only buying "A-labelled" domestic appliances and low-energy lamps would decrease the second.

Currently I guess almost all water heating is done with natural gas (a fossil fuel). Either in bottles or pipes. The first is doubly bad because of the extensive transportation and thus emission of greenhouse gases. The good thing is that Portugal already have infrastructure that can be used for biogas, but this is very far from becoming a reality.