Wind power fuelling Spain’s energy transition

It's not just kite surfers who have been enjoying the benefits of Spain's wind

Despite Spain’s justified reputation as a solar hotspot, it is actually the country’s wind power sector that is fuelling Spain’s transition to a renewable energy economy, according to startling statistics released last week by national grid operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE).

Overall, thanks to Spain’s wind, solar and hydroelectric power efforts, greenhouse gas emissions fell by 23.1% in the country in 2013 – a remarkable achievement for a country beset by economic problems for the past five years…

Figures from REE show that, for the first time ever, wind power was the leading single source of energy, providing Spain with 21.1% of its power last year, narrowly pipping nuclear power, which accounted for 21% of all energy generated and consumed.

A report from REE read: “Throughout 2013, the all-time highs of wind power production were exceeded,” revealing that multiple daily records were broken on various days throughout 2013. This doesn’t mean that Spain is getting windier. Rather, appetite for wind power has grown at an impressive pace; a pace matched by technological advances and government support.

However, the Spanish government’s decision to throw its weight behind wind power has been to the detriment of the country’s struggling solar power industry. Even though Spain’s solar PV industry grew by 140 MW last year (compared to a wind power capacity increase of 173 MW), growth has slowed dramatically in the past 18 months ever since Spain rolled back previously generous feed-in tariffs (FITs) that were introduced to encourage homeowners to install rooftop solar panels. The scheme was such a success (helped by historically low solar equipment prices) that the government actually feared that it was becoming too expensive to continue to subsidise solar. Thus, incentives were removed last year.

Wind power, though, by its very nature, has to be done on a larger scale, and Spain is well-placed to take advantage of its natural resources. Southern Spain – particularly around Tarifa – experiences some of the windiest conditions in Europe, and has plenty of land available.

In fact, such has been Spain’s success in wind power production that renewable energy now accounts for 49.1% of all installed energy capacity in Spain. And the industry has a strong tailwind behind it: coal-fired power plants are producing 27.3% less energy now than a year ago, while power generation from gas-fired power plants has contracted by 34.2%. The balance is most definitely shifting.

“The increased weight of renewable energy in the generation mix structure of 2013 compared to the previous year has reduced CO2 emissions of the electricity sector on the Spanish peninsula to 61.4 million tonnes, 23.1% lower than in 2012,” added the REE report.

So what does this mean for the citizens of Spain? Well, better air quality, more job creation (innovative industries such as renewables are awash with high-tech, well-paid jobs), lower energy bills and a burgeoning reputation as a forward-thinking, progressive country enjoying clean energy and a mature approach to the environment.