Spain's windfarms break energy records

Wind doesn't have to blow if you use it correctly, like the Spaniards

The Spanish Wind Energy Association has announced that the past three months in Spain has seen the country produce more wind-powered electricity than any other source.

Spain’s wind farms – many of which sit close to the southern Andalusian town of Tarifa – delivered more than six terawatt hours of electricity in January, read a statement by Red Eléctrica de España.

“Since November 1, wind has been the top technology in the electrical system,” the group’s blog said. “The last time any technology exceeded six terawatt-hours of monthly generation was in 2010, when it was combined-cycle gas turbines.”

Such impressive stats meant that Spain’s windfarms outperformed both its coal-fired and nuclear power stations, and delivered more than a quarter of the country’s power generation.

These positive results are a boon for the country’s renewable power industry, and a testament not only to Spain’s natural resources but also its forethought in investing so much effort and manpower to a project many thought would prove an expensive and unsightly white elephant.

But as anyone who has ever driven over the crests of Tarifa’s hills can attest, Andalucía’s windfarms are starkly beautiful.