The first Empowered Futures excursion of 2024 took place from 22-25 April, when we travelled to Lisbon to meet our new cohort and get to know key figures from the community and academia involved in the role out and testing of PV technologies within different urban settings.
We began the week at the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon, where, after introductions, we heard from Miguel Brito who explained more about cross-sectoral energy transitions, agrivoltaic and rooftop solar. After a tour of the university's brilliant agrivoltaic facility, complete with peacocks, we heard from Rodrigo Amaro e Silva on solar installation data visualisation, followed by João Pedro Gouveia, Katherine Mahoney and Pedro Palma talking about energy poverty policies. We ended the day we with a guided tour of the inspiring Telheiras Renewable Energy Community and community garden, followed by refreshments and a film in the leafy surroundings of the lovely Telheiras Community Centre with local PhD scholar Miguel Macias Sequeira.
Our second day was spent in the offices of Portugal's Energy Services Regulatory Authority - ERSE. Here, we received presentations from a diverse array of actors involved in the roll-out of PV technologies across Portugal. This included insights into solar development and the Portuguese energy market from EDP, challenges and restrictions to implementation, solar energy communities, energy cooperatives, and the role of the regulator. This was followed by a guided tour of Lisbon’s ‘Electricity Factory’ on the site of the former Tejo coal-fired power station.
The final day saw our members present their PhD projects along with a talk about research communication before we joined the city in celebrating the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution.
Reflecting upon the trip, member Harald Grabher, a PhD candidate in Social Ecology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, said:
“Our deep dive into solar and wind energy was enlightening, revealing the immense potential these sources hold for sustainable growth. Late to the scene, Portugal is turning into a great example for accelerated transition efforts.
What stood out were the inspiring discussions with a wide range of speakers—from industry experts to researchers, energy cooperatives and communities —each providing unique insights into the country's transition journey and the stumbling blocks on the way.
The trip also highlighted some significant challenges, particularly around energy poverty. It's clear that while we need to push for fossil-free energy systems, we must ensure that these changes don't disproportionately impact those who are already struggling. The conversations among the members and our academic team were rich and thought-provoking, delving into the social dimensions of the energy transition.”