▪️This meme makes the classic error of equating electricity with energy (i.e. a country “running on renewables”). Typically, electricity is only about 20% of energy consumption. Transportation, heating, agriculture & industrial uses, etc. make up the rest and are dominated by fossil fuels.

▪️Portugal had a recent streak from Oct 31 to Nov 6 where their electricity was provided by “renewable sources,” primarily wind and hydro. The weather was windy and rainy, which was ideal for Portugal’s unique grid.
https://www.ren.pt/en-gb/media/news/renewable-energy-production-sets-new-records

▪️If you look at their current grid today, it fluctuates but you see about 1/3 nat gas and 1/2 hydro, with wind supplying most of the remaining. (I’ll post a photo in comments)
https://datahub.ren.pt/en/electricity/daily-balance/

▪️Hydro in Portugal is much greater than in most countries, supplying nearly 1/3 of their total electricity, and sometimes well over 50%. In the US, hydro provides just 6%. So this is the answer to the meme’s question “if Portugal can do this why can’t we?”

▪️Hydro is not very scalable, as it needs the right geography to work. It’s also opposed by environmentalists nearly everywhere, as it impacts river ecosystems, so building any new plant let alone enough to power a modern economy is virtually impossible in most countries.

▪️Portugal also has issues during droughts, like during the winter of 2022 when 45% of the country was in severe or extreme drought and they had to shut down 5 hydro plants to ensure enough drinking water.
https://www.euronews.com/2022/02/02/portugal-limits-hydroelectric-power-amid-unusual-winter-drought

▪️While hydro is much more reliable than wind and solar, in most cases it still can’t be relied on to power a modern economy without a fossil fuel/nuclear backup (Portugal chooses a natural gas backup for when their renewables fail).