Apparently, Portugal just opened the world's first commercial-scale wave energy installation off Peniche — 24 oscillating wave surge converters generating 40 megawatts from Atlantic Ocean swells and powering 15,000 Portuguese homes continuously. The Peniche Wave Array sits 3 kilometers offshore in 30-meter water depth, harvesting powerful Atlantic swells arriving with average heights of 2.5 meters year-round. Each WaveRoller device uses a hinged panel fixed to the seabed that rocks with passing waves, pumping hydraulic fluid through generators at every wave cycle. Annual capacity factor reaches 42 percent — comparable to onshore wind turbines. Portugal's Atlantic coastline receives among the most energetic wave resources in Europe. National wave energy potential is estimated at 5,500 megawatts — enough to cover 30 percent of Portugal's total electricity demand from ocean waves with full resource development. Portugal has approved 400 megawatts of additional wave arrays along the same coastline. Source: AW-Energy Finland, Portuguese Renewable Energy Association, European Commission Innovation Fund, 2025.

Something for the weekend after an intense week of heat for most, and fires for some. I hope this finds you well. Do have a great weekend, a 'bom fim de semana', and please do not encourage this sort of behaviour! And just in case you don't know your #PdN history, just pop over here. Would YOU eat the Dubai edition pastel?

Portugal Resident: "News came this morning that legendary singer, Bonnie Tyler, 75, died in Faro hospital last night, where she had been since life-saving surgery for a ruptured appendix over two months ago. The message on the singer’s official Facebook page said: 'Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for. We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.' Fans of the star - known all over the world for hits like 'Total Eclipse of the Heart', 'Holding out for a Hero' and 'It’s a Heartache' - will be in deep mourning after so many weeks of, quite literally, holding out for a miracle." More --- 📍 Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins) was a Grammy-nominated Welsh rock singer famous for her distinctive raspy voice and anthems like 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' - and one of the Algarve's most beloved adopted residents, who passed away in Portugal on 9 July 2026. 🎂 Born 8 June 1951 in Skewen, Neath, Wales, to coal miner Glyndŵr and homemaker Elsie Hopkins; she fell in love with the Algarve on her first visit in the mid-1970s and soon bought a property near Albufeira. 💡 Bonnie first visited the Algarve in the mid-seventies and described it as a magical place she never wanted to leave. She and husband Robert Sullivan owned a five-bedroom home near Albufeira for decades, splitting time between the Algarve and Wales. She was a patron of the Guia-based animal charity AAG and famously performed for 40,000 fans on Albufeira beach alongside neighbour Cliff Richard. In May 2026 she underwent emergency surgery at Faro hospital for a perforated bowel and passed away there on 9 July 2026, aged 75. 🍽️ Stream 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' (1983) and read Tomorrow Algarve magazine's in-depth interview with Bonnie for a warm portrait of her life in Portugal

📍 Portuguese olive oil - known locally as azeite - is one of the country's most prized agricultural products, produced across five major regions from a rich mix of native and cultivated olive varieties. 🎂 Olive cultivation in Portugal dates back to Roman times, deepened under Arab rule (which also gave the language the word azeite, from the Arabic az-zeit meaning 'olive juice'), and has continued as a cornerstone of Portuguese food culture ever since. 💡 Portugal has around 350,000 hectares of olive groves, with the Alentejo accounting for roughly 50% of production and Trás-os-Montes a further 22%. The dominant native variety is Galega Vulgar - mild, balanced, with notes of ripe apple - while Cobrançosa brings intensity and green fruitiness, Verdeal adds spice and structure, and Cordovil de Serpa gives elegance and herbal notes. Six regions hold PDO (DOP) status, each enforcing strict varietal and production rules. When buying, look for the DOP stamp, a named cultivar, and a harvest date for guaranteed quality and origin. 🍽️ Visit the Olive Oil Museum (Lagar de Varas do Fojo) in Moura, Alentejo, for a hands-on history of Portuguese azeite, or book a harvest-season grove tour in Trás-os-Montes (October–November) to taste freshly pressed oil at source. ❓ Which olive variety is the most widely planted in Portugal, prized for its mild, balanced flavour?

Renewable sources generated 45.5% of all electricity produced in the European Union during the first quarter of this year, up from 42.7% a year earlier. This shifting energy mix is transforming Europe's grid, strengthening energy security, and reducing dependence on fossil fuel imports 👉 https://euperspectives.eu/2026/07/europe-saved-e29bn-thanks-to-renewables-now-they-power-nearly-half-the-grid/