Escalão A2 | Article in english

Renewable energies in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region
Cláudia Barandas
Escola Sec. Morgado Mateus, Vila Real17/06/2009

Resumo

According to the EU, Europe has to increase the weight of renewable energies, to cut down the emissions of CO₂ and to improve its energetic performance in 20% till 2020.

Artigo

According to the EU, Europe has to increase the weight of renewable energies, to cut down the emissions of CO₂ and to improve its energetic performance in 20% till 2020.

To contribute to this goal, Portugal will have to increase the production of electricity produced from renewable sources from 45% in 2008 to 45% in 2010 and in 59% in 2020. This effort is based in the growth of the number of dams, reaching a total potential of 2800MW fn water energy, increasing wind power to 8500 MW and the sun energy now set to 56,5 MV to 700 MW.

The Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region is ideal for the correct development of these sources of energy - solar, eolic, water and geothermic energies.

This region possesses a wide hydrographic net; it is a mountainous region, high enough to get benefit from the wind. It is also a sunny region, so it can benefit from the solar energy. This region enjoys in a similar way the energy that comes from inside the earth, because in Chaves area the earth has special characteristics.

Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro has for many years taken benefit from the wind energy. It was traditionally used for grinding cereals, but with evolution, this type of use, has taken less traditional ways, such as the production of electric energy. Nowadays this region has three eolic parks: Serra do Marão; Alvão and Vila Real's eolic parquet.

As water energy is concerned, one can identify the Bagaúste dam, built in Douro's hydrographic bay, which is 41 metres above the foundation and is 350 metres wide. The installed capacity of electric energy production is of 180MW. The geothermic potential of this region is well showed in Chaves's bathhouses. Of Roman origin and surrounded by a picturesque scenery the Chaves's bathhouses are placed in a garden near Tâmega's river in the ancient medieval city area. From the deep regions of the valley flows the water of volcanic origin, which crosses the several magmatic layers, reaching the surface with unique characteristics and composition.

The bet in renewable energies, an option for the traditional energetic model, will be, no doubt, the biggest development bet of any country that wants to guarantee its sustainability in the present and in the future. Based in what was said, the Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro region appears to be a region in Portugal with countless energetic potentials.

Cláudia Barandas, Escola Sec. Morgado Mateus, Vila Real, Portugal.