The crisis is an ″opportunity″ for Portugal to lead in renewable energy
In the midst of Ukraine and with the price of compounds and energy soaring, this crisis should not be seen as a threat, but rather as a “break” towards a new path, that of energy independence through the commitment to war energies. green and renewable. “Opportunity” was the most heard word in the debate on Portugal Mobi Summit (PMS).
When we talk about energy, we talk about Portuguese electrical solutions. Vera Pinto Pereira, CEO of EDP Comercial, recalled that globally, in this recent period, cars have doubled: “In Portugal we are among the 10 European countries with the highest penetration of electric/hybrid vehicles in terms of new vehicles. , a sign are the hybrids in this 2, what is in these hybrids”.
“We have a network of 4000 charging points at national level, which gives a very expressive coverage of the territory, good at European level, and considering the number of users of this network has increased, more than 60% today in recent months”.
Vera Pinto Pereira guarantees that EDP grew, in 2021, more than ever in terms of the public charging network. “Today, we have over 1,200 public charging points. The 44 service areas on Brisa’s motorways are all in operation. Active work has been done to expand the network”, he stressed, not forgetting to mention that “public support for charging networks is very important”. In Spain, she underlined, a new decree-law has been published that obliges to have a charging point for every 40 parking spaces in any public place. “In Spain 10% to 15% of the financing of the shipment comes through public roads”.
The mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas da Câmara de Lisboa, also understands that this is a moment of change in the energy transformation sector. of transformation”.
“It is above all an opportunity for cities, which are the ones that can implement this transformation” with a view to carbon neutrality in 2030.
Carlos Moas recalls that “citizens are lost” and with other observations and that it is necessary to change so that it reaches everyone. “Energy transition is saving. When the citizen who, in Lisbon, is going to change light bulbs to LED light bulbs, understands, because it is energy that saves 80% of what we used to spend previously”, exemplified the Lisbon mayor.
Regarding the company’s authorities, on the António Pires de Lima highways, he also took the opportunity to make “an appeal to public authorities to be quick and license the equipment that other energy companies already have in our highway service areas”. Pires de Lima said that “Brisa was the first national highway network, in partnership with private companies such as EDP, to allow electric vehicles (EV) to travel on our highways without anxiety, to be able to stop in areas of service for 10 to 15 minutes to load and go”. And he announced that Brisa is “investing in a project to provide our highways with photovoltaic energy so that, by the end of 2024, the operation of our highways will be self-sufficient from an energy point of view”.
Pedro Rebocho, Lidl Infrastructure Manager, also highlighted that the group has “100 modernized stores with chargers, from north to south and as far west as Spain”.
What do you save with electrics?
The president of EDP Comercial, Vera Pinto Pereira, took the numbers to highlight the cost that is saved when choosing an EV: public but it can cost 10 to 12 euros if we are talking about a fuel vehicle”.
From new forms of mobility and ecological mobility, to pioneers in free public transport, from new green energies from Cascata and from public transport to all public transport. Carlos Carreiras, mayor of Cascais, are remembered as municipalities, but that an energy transition “depends on the speed of decision at the central government level”. This “new world has to do with the most renewable energy of all, which is creativity. There is political will”, highlighted Carreiras.
The train for transition will change business from models like electric car models. Fidelidade’s CEO, Rogério Campos Henriques, revealed that the company “is developing solutions for customers to safely and responsibly adhere to new forms of smooth mobility” (scooters, bicycles, among others).
The intervention of the Lidl supermarket chain is being made with new investments in the distribution fleet. “We are on gas, testing a new technology, but we expect to have another energy alternative by the end of the year”, revealed Pedro Rebocho, Lidl’s CEO. “Our fleet of 700 vehicles is being changed, we already have hybrid cars and next year we will deliver the first fully electric cars to our employees”. Lidl has expanded to Madeira, “where in the 2nd half of 2023 the entire fleet will be electric”.
These are examples of actions on the ground that Portugal Mobi Summit partners are taking with a view to greater sustainability. The largest urban mobility event in the country is an initiative of the Global Media Group and EDP and has as partners the municipalities of Lisbon and Cascais, Brisa, Lidl and Fidelidade. The next debate How to make public transport more attractive? It’s tomorrow and can be followed at www.dinheirovivo.pt from 10.00.
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