Over the past four years, electricity production from renewable energy sources (FER) has created an average of around 50,000 jobs annually, with an average value added per employee around twice the national average, according to a study on the Impact of electricity of renewable origin, carried out by the Portuguese Association for Renewable Energy (APREN), and released yesterday in Lisbon.
The labor chapter focuses on wind and water sources, which generated the largest volume of employment during the period considered: on average 69% of total renewable energy sources. As solar energy gained popularity, so did its weight in the labor market.
The increase in employment in the sector was also positive for contributions to social security and finances. It is estimated that the contribution from renewable energy sources will amount to approximately three billion euros in 2030. From a tax perspective, the amount should be greater than 2.7 billion euros according to the IRS, the study estimates.
To give you an idea: between 2018 and 2022, the State collected an average of approximately 232 million euros annually in IRC and approximately 15 million euros in Derrama from the renewable energy sector. It is estimated that the total annual value will grow to approximately 1.2 billion euros by 2030.
The report shows that electricity from these sources had a positive impact on several indicators in Portugal.
Savings
In the case of families, this type of electricity has historically resulted in savings on domestic electricity bills of between 800 and 1,600 euros. For non-household consumers, the savings amounted to 160 thousand euros.
In terms of gross domestic product (GDP), the impact between 2018 and 2022 amounted to more than 19 billion euros. Last year alone this value amounted to 3.7 billion euros. Over the period considered, wind energy contributed the most to GDP impact, with a share of more than 45% of total renewable energy sources.
According to the report, the net impact was positive and on the order of 17.1 billion euros in the period 2018-2022. Of this amount, 13 billion euros relates only to 2022.
As the organization explained, the main objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of electricity from renewable sources in Portugal between 2018 and 2022 and to project this impact in accordance with the updated objectives of the National Energy and Climate Plan 2030. The figures reveal the importance of investing in renewable energy.
Cost
However, another message to remember is that if there had been no sustainable Special Regime Production (PRE), the sales price per MWh of electricity for the same amount of energy would have been on average 85 euros higher. This in the period between 2018 and 2022.
In other words, emphasizes Pedro Amaral Jorge, president of Apren, it is incorrect that the price of electricity has increased. In fact, he added, the exact opposite happened. For reference, the different renewable technologies recorded an average annual contribution of €257,000/MW between 2018 and 2022.
The research shows that the existence of renewable energy has a positive impact on the market price of traded electricity. This is evident from the analysis of the figures, which show that savings of around 11 billion euros were achieved last year alone. In 2022, the electricity price was approximately three times higher than in 2018, namely 168 euros/MWh. According to APREN, the explanation was due to the increase in natural gas prices. If this is replaced, electricity prices should fall (again).
For the coming years, more specifically for the 2030 target, the prediction is that there will be a change in the importance of renewable energy sources, with solar energy becoming more important. Electricity produced from solar energy will contribute the most to GDP, accounting for almost 70% of the total, followed by wind energy with around 21%.
In terms of sustainability, it seems that renewable energy sources, by replacing the “most polluting” sources, made it possible to avoid emissions of 11.1 million tons of CO2 equivalent last year. This value is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.
By 2030, the total annual savings from CO2 rights are expected to amount to EUR 4,413 million, almost five times as much as in 2022. This is associated with an avoided CO2 equivalent of approximately 30 million tons at a predicted price of EUR 147.2 per ton.
Source: DN
