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An entire country ran on renewable energy for six days straight

Portugal's plans for the future are even more ambitious.

By Teodosia Dobriyanova on November 29, 2023

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The entire country of Portugal ran on renewable energy for six days in a row.

Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, the state’s National Electric system ran entirely on energy from wind, hydropower, and the sun – for 149 hours straight. Portugal produced 1102 GWh of renewable energy, surpassing its demand of 840 GWh, which allowed it to even export some electricity to Spain. The European country set a similar record in 2019 when it ran on renewables for 131 hours.

Usually, about 60 percent of Portugal’s energy comes from renewable sources, while the rest is supplied by the so-called natural gas. However, the country is planning to cut off the use of gas by 2040 and run solely on renewables by 2045.