According to the press release from the Government of the Azores, “by April 2024, 4,956 investment intentions had been submitted, with an approved incentive of €13,357,080.88, representing 9,815.74 kW of power”.

Solenerge, an initiative of the Government of the Azores, has been running since September 2022, as part of Investment C14-i03-RAA-Energy Transition in the Azores, of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), with funding totalling €19 million.

The Azorean Government revealed, of these initiatives, “790 applications have already been paid, representing an incentive amount of €6,970,621.73 and an installed capacity of 5,033.68 kW”.

With regard to the milestones for meeting the proposed target of 11.2 MW installed in solar photovoltaic systems by the end of 2025, the first “has been exceeded, with an installation of a further 6.7 MW”, according to the Azorean executive.

This initiative by the Regional Government has since been honoured in the 2023 edition of the ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa Award, which “annually recognises the most relevant public policies adopted in Portugal”.

The Regional Directorate for Energy was invited to present Solenerge to public policy students at a session where “the regional energy policy and the various measures underway as a result of the Azorean government’s commitment to promoting the archipelago’s energy transition were also discussed”.

In accordance with the press release, “at this session, Solenerge, which provides 100 percent support for the purchase and installation of solar photovoltaic systems in the Azores, was recognised as a model policy with the potential to be replicated at national and international levels”.