Last week Spain generated nearly half of its electricity from renewable sources - the UK currently generates just 5.5%
It’s a popular myth that renewables just cannot deliver that much power.
London Mayor Boris Johnson has joked about “crucifying our landscape with wind farms which, even when they are in motion, would barely pull the skin off a rice pudding.” When he was Energy Minister John Hutton told Labour Conference in 2008, “No coal and no nuclear equals no lights, no power, no future.”
The conventional wisdom in Westminster is that renewable technologies are tomorrow’s not today’s technologies – that they’re a good idea in principle but just cannot deliver that much energy. This is a point reiterated by energy bosses, like Tony Hayward of BP who has called renewables “a valuable option for the future.”
So consider this:
On Friday, for the first time ever, there was a moment when a nearly half of Spain’s electricity came from renewable sources. This graph shows how Spain generated a whopping 45.9 per cent of all its electricity from renewable sources: eolica (wind), hidraulica (hydropower), and resto reg. esp. (biomass and solar). CO2 emissions dropped accordingly.
With such a big green energy section, no wonder that by 2006, according to Deutsche Bank, the Spanish were already employing 35,000 in their wind sector and 35,591 jobs in their solar sector. Meanwhile, Germany already produces more than 15 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, and aims to raise this to 30 per cent by 2020 and 45 per cent by 2030.
Despite having greater renewable resource potential than Spain, the UK currently generates just 5.5 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources. (Renewable Energy Strategy, DECC, Page 10.)
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
18 Responses to “Spain generates half electricity from renewables”
Manel
Some annual figures about Spain – 2008, REE Annual Report:
(page 9 in http://www.ree.es/sistema_electrico/pdf/infosis/Inf_Sis_Elec_REE_2008_v2.pdf)
Renewable over annual demand:
Hydro 8%
Wind 11%
Mini-hydro 2%
Other renewable (mainly solar and biomass): 3%
That represents 24% of total demand (around 61 TWh: more than the total output of all 8 nukes in the system with a total of 57 TWh).
The big gap with UK in renewables is wind (not being well interconnected, Spain needs – and has – a lot of flexible CCGT to backup all this non manageable power, just as the UK).
The Spanish system subsidises renewables via a feed-in tariff, which increases costs for consumers.
Political decision and policy implementation (requiring regulation, some extent of intervention) is needed to achieve what Spain has achieved. Is the UK ready for this?
Matthew Hamilton
@sts330 Spain produces 50% electric from renewables http://bit.ly/3gKQSy
Paul Miller
On a good day, Spain now generates 45% of its electricity from renewables. http://bit.ly/eKhpi
Joss Garman
Now 53% from wind alone: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/spain-national-record-power-windfarms
EOI
RT @rellimluap On a good day, Spain now generates 45% of its electricity from renewables. http://bit.ly/eKhpi #green