Europe’s Largest Wind Farm Begins Operation in northern Portugal

The continent’s biggest onshore wind farm has been connected to Portugal’s electricity grid and, together with a smaller wind farm nearby, will produce enough electricity for 300,000 homes, according to Portuguese officials. The new facility in the highlands of the Upper Minho region contains 120 large windmills and its inauguration helps cement Portugal’s position as a global leader in renewable energy development. The world’s largest solar energy farm is being built in Portugal and the world’s first commercial wave power plant recently began operating off Portugal’s coast. The country has set a target of obtaining a third of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reports that the economic slowdown does not appear to be hurting producers of large wind turbines, such as Denmark’s Vestas, in large measure because major utility companies are moving ahead with previously planned wind power projects.