In Spain, power generation from wind farms and hydroelectric plants has spiraled upwards, escalating in the last year. This renewable power sector is a leading cause of Spain’s recent 23.1% drop in greenhouse gas emissions. Wind farms moved for the first time front and center in Spain’s energy mix by furnishing the greatest amount of the Spain’s annual electricity supply in 2013.
The UK’s Business Green reports:
Red Eléctrica de España (REE) released a preliminary report on the country’s power system late last month, revealing that for “the first time ever, [wind power] contributed most to the annual electricity demand coverage”. According to the figures, wind turbines met 21.1 per cent of electricity demand on the Spanish peninsular, narrowly beating the region’s fleet of nuclear reactors, which provided 21 per cent of power.
In total, wind farms are estimated to have generated 53,926GWh of electricity, up 12 per cent on 2012, while high levels of rainfall meant hydroelectric power output was 16 per cent higher than the historical average, climbing to 32,205GWh.
“Throughout 2013, the all-time highs of wind power production were exceeded,” the REE report stated. “On February 6, wind power recorded a new maximum of instantaneous power with 17,056MW at 3:49 pm (2.5 per cent up on the previous record registered in April 2012), and that same day the all-time maximum for hourly energy was also exceeded reaching 16,918MWh.”
James Murry of Business Green also points out that clean energy from neighboring Portugal progressed in the last year as well, generating over 70% of its power from renewables during the first quarter of the year, driven by a surge in wind and hydro power output.
The report considers that there is continuing challenges heading into 2014. However, Spain is above average with “electricity prices compared to the rest of the EU.”
Kudos to Spain for leading the world in renewable energy despite tough economic times.
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Image Credit: Wind turbines in Spain via Shutterstock
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