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Riba d'Ave

Solar power plant in Braga, Portugal. Approximate location 41.4101, -8.4151.

SolarBragaPortugalPV

Riba d'Ave is a 2 MW solar power plant in Braga, Portugal. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.0k homes (estimated). It ranks #362 of 480 Portugal power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2014, it is around 12 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, solar supplies about 17.3% of Portugal's electricity; the national grid averages 128 gCO₂/kWh (81.0% low-carbon) (2025).

2Source-backed capacity
1,021homes powered (est.)
2014commissioned (~12 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1022644.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRiba d'Ave WRI
CountryPortugal · Braga WRI
Coordinates41.4101, -8.4151 WRI
FuelSolar WRI
MW installed capacity2 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
Commissioned2014 WRI
TechnologyPV WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#362 of 480 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#34 of 72 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.04× · 2 MW median · 72 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,021 calculated
Climate13.8°C · HDD 1,631 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

OwnerNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100001073848); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2 MW, Riba d'Ave is around the median solar plant in Portugal (2 MW). Technically it is described as PV. Solar PV converts sunlight directly into electricity with no moving parts or fuel; output varies by time of day and weather, so it pairs with storage or flexible backup.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Capacity vs largest solar plants in Portugal

Solara4: 219 MW219Solara4Ourique: 62 MW62OuriqueAmareleja: 46 MW46AmarelejaVale de Moura: 29 MW29Vale de Mo…Avalades: 16 MW16AvaladesMontijo: 13 MW13MontijoCabrela: 13 MW13CabrelaCanha/Alpenduradas: 12 MW12Canha/Alpe…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This solar plant converts sunlight directly into electricity with photovoltaic panels. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.8°Cannual mean temp
1,631heating degree-days (base 18°C)
125cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
283 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 15 °CON: 11 °CND: 9 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 34% 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: 36/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Solar PV loses ~0.35%/°C above 25°C cell temperature — roughly 0.0% at warm-season highs here (estimate).

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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
11.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
31 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #34 largest solar power plant of 72 in Portugal by capacity.

Portugal has 72 solar power plants in this dataset, together about 642 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.4101, -8.4151 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Riba d'Ave?

Riba d'Ave is a 2 MW source-record solar power plant in Braga, Portugal, commissioned in 2014.

How many homes can Riba d'Ave power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,021 homes (estimated).

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