Alto da Vaca is a 2.4 MW wind power plant in Braga, Portugal. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.0k homes (estimated). It ranks #354 of 480 Portugal power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 26.7% of Portugal's electricity; the national grid averages 128 gCO₂/kWh (81.0% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1023268.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000909692; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 2.4 MW, Alto da Vaca is below the median wind plant in Portugal (11.5 MW). Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.
Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.
Key facts
- Share of Portugal wind capacity
- less than 0.1% of 5,055 MW across 224 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 20 of 224 dated wind plants in Portugal are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest wind plants in Portugal
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Local climate & thermal context
This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 11% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 46/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.
How it compares & nearby plants
The #192 largest wind power plant of 224 in Portugal by capacity.
Portugal has 224 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 5,055 MW of capacity.
Nearby power plants
- Salamonde · Hydro · 42 MW · Braga
- Vilarchão · Wind · 2 MW · Braga
- Serra da Cabreira · Wind · 20 MW · Braga
- Frades II · Hydro · 736 MW · Braga
- Venda Nova · Hydro · 90 MW · Braga
- Mesa do Galo I · Hydro · 1.6 MW · Braga
Location
Coordinates 41.6641, -8.0846 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Alto da Vaca?
Alto da Vaca is a 2.4 MW wind power plant in Braga, Portugal, commissioned in 2002.