100 Aldeias is Cleanwatts' programme for bringing renewable energy communities to villages across Portugal. It started in Miranda do Douro in 2021 with the country's first energy community, where locally generated solar power is shared between neighbouring homes, businesses and public buildings.
100 Aldeias brings the energy community model to rural Portugal. In each village, solar panels go on a host roof or plot, such as a town hall, a company or a farm building, and the electricity they generate is shared among the households and organisations connected to that community. Electricity that isn't used locally is distributed among the members instead of being sold off the grid, so the value of the energy stays in the village.
The programme began in Miranda do Douro in 2021, when Cleanwatts set up the first renewable energy community in Portugal. Its name comes from the original target of 100 villages. That target has since been passed, and more than 140 energy communities now operate around the country. The programme was developed in collaboration with About the Energy and holds IIES certification from Portugal Inovação Social.
Villages take part in two ways. As producers, they make a roof or a piece of land available for a community installation, which Cleanwatts finances, installs and operates. The village invests nothing. As consumers, residents, small businesses and local institutions buy the shared electricity at prices that are lower and more stable than on the open market. For inland villages with an ageing population and rising energy bills, the model is as much about the local economy and energy security as it is about emissions.
Our Goal
To give rural villages their own renewable energy: 100 energy communities across Portugal, each producing and sharing its own solar electricity, so that the benefits of the energy transition reach the places that usually see them last.
Our Wishes
The programme is looking for villages, town halls, companies and farms willing to host a community solar installation. It also wants residents and local businesses who'd like to join an existing energy community as consumers.
