This week’s science picture

For 107 hours Portugal ran on renewable energy alone. From the 7th to the 11th May the country’s electricity consumption was completely covered by renewable sources. Data analysis of national energy network figures revealed this. The Portuguese desire for clean energy was encouraged by the EU’s renewable targets for 2020 and the UK also had their first ever week of coal-free electricity two weeks ago. Oliver Joy, a spokesman for the Wind Europe trade association said: “The Iberian peninsula is a great resource for renewables and wind energy, not just for the region but for the whole of Europe.” So industry groups are focusing on green energy’s export potential. With the right policies in place wind energy alone could meet a quarter of Europe’s power needs in the next 15 years. Inflexible and polluting technologies are ending. The time has come for clean, renewable sources.