Spain boasts a prominent position in renewable energy, with its wind energy capacity reaching an impressive 28 Gigawatts. This capacity is the foremost source of renewable electricity generation, contributing a remarkable 23.3 per cent of the total output. In wind power, Spain is second in Europe and fifth worldwide. I will discuss the Spanish government's ambition, strategy and the top five onshore wind farms under construction. Leading wind energy firms driving wind energy production and the obstacles which stand in the way.
Ambition & Strategy
According to the Spanish government's energy and climate plan, the target is to install 160 Gigawatt of renewable energy capacity by 2030. The wind energy target is 62 Gigawatt, and 3 Gigawatt would be offshore and the rest onshore. By the year 2030, the contribution of renewable energy is to rise significantly, accounting for 48
per cent of overall energy consumption. With electricity generation, an even more substantial shift is expected, with renewable sources like solar and wind taking the lead and constituting an impressive 81 per cent of the total output.
The Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition launched €150 million for wind farm repowering projects, refurbishing mini-hydropower plants, and recycling wind turbine blades.
Biggest Onshore Wind Farms
- Delta 2 Wind Farm is currently under construction in Aragon. Forestalia Renovables and Repsol Electricidad y Gas developed it with an investment of 330.52 million. It has a capacity of 798.84 Megawatt and can power 800,000 households, and it is to enter operations in 2023.
- The Tortoles Wind Farm, located in Castile and Leon, is currently under construction and is expected to commence operations in 2024. Green Capital Power SL has developed it at $783.54 million. It has a capacity of 540 Megawatt.
- Villarino Wind Farm is currently under construction in Castile and Leon and will be operational in 2024. Iberdrola has developed it with an investment of $353.56 million. It has a capacity of 300 Megawatts.
- The Zucar Wind Farm is being built in Castile and Leon and will begin operations in 2023. Green Capital Power developed it with an investment of $414.26 million. It has a capacity of 285.5 Megawatt.
- Galicia Wind Farm is under construction in Galicia, expected to enter operations in 2024. Capital Energy SLU developed it with an investment of $289.6 million. It has a capacity of 280 Megawatt.
Leading Wind Energy Firms
- Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA, headquartered in Zamudio, is a wind energy supplier that designs and produces wind turbines for offshore and onshore wind energy projects.
- Vestas Wind Systems AS, based in Ciudad Real, design, manufacture, install and provide services for wind turbines across the globe.
- General Electric Company, based in Madrid, manufacture and sell wind turbines.
- Acciona SA, headquartered in Madrid, has expertise in development, construction, operation and maintenance services for wind power projects.
- Iberdrola SA, based in Madrid, is an energy utility firm engaged in the construction, operation, and management of power generation plants.
Challenges
- The biggest challenge limiting Spain's ability to deploy renewable energy at scale is the lack of storage technologies and the ability to store energy generated by solar and wind plants, with varying demand matched with supply.
- The second issue is that significant investments are needed to modernise the power grid, and new transmission lines are needed to supply electricity from renewable sources to consumers.
- The third problem is that too many firms are sending proposals for wind farms and solar parks, leading to backlogs which slows down the approval process. Thereby negatively affecting Spain's ability to increase renewable energy
usage.
Conclusion
In this piece, I have talked about Spain’s position in the world concerning wind energy and the Spanish government’s ambitions and strategy to promote wind power. I have focused on the five onshore wind farms under construction to demonstrate Spain’s efforts to scale wind energy.
Top five indigenous energy firms operating in the wind energy sector. I have mentioned the obstacles which hinder Spain’s ability to deploy the technology at scale. The steps taken by the Spanish government are undoubtedly heading in the right direction towards achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. However, their effectiveness and sufficiency in attaining this ambitious goal remain as the journey towards carbon neutrality involves continuous efforts and adaptation to evolving challenges.
End Notes
- https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/wind-power-by-country
- https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/spain-wind-energy-market/companies
- https://www.vestas.com/en
- https://www.iberdrola.com/about-us
- https://www.evwind.es/2023/05/28/spain-does-not-take-advantage-of-the-full-potential-of-wind-and-solar-energy-due-to-lack-of-storage/91959
- https://repositorio.unican.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10902/27575/CurrentChallengesintheSpanish.pdf?sequence=3
- https://www.evwind.es/2023/06/28/spain-raises-its-wind-power-and-solar-energy-goal-by-23-for-2030-to-160-gw/92533#:~:text=Skip%20to%20content-,Spain%20raises%20its%20wind%20power%20and%20solar%20energy%20goal%20by,for%202030%20to%20160%20GW&text=The%20Spanish%20government%20has%20revised,contemplating%20tripling%20the%20hydrogen%20target%20
- https://www.power-technology.com/comment/investments-spain-renewable-targets/#catfish
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/421496/total-wind-power-in-spain/#:~:text=Wind%20power%20capacity%20in%20Spain%202010%2D2022&text=In%202021%2C%20the%20installed%20wind,half%20a%20decade%20of%20stagnation
- https://iea-wind.org/about-iea-wind-tcp/members/spain/
- https://www.evwind.es/2022/08/31/wind-energy-yearbook-2022-analysis-of-current-wind-power-in-spain-and-in-the-world/87622#:~:text=Spanish%20wind%20power%20is%20the,the%20second%20at%20European%20level
- https://www.power-technology.com/data-insights/top-5-onshore-wind-power-plants-in-development-in-spain/
- https://www.power-technology.com/marketdata/power-plant-profile-tortoles-wind-farm-spain/
- https://www.power-technology.com/marketdata/power-plant-profile-delta-2-wind-farm-spain/
- https://www.power-technology.com/marketdata/power-plant-profile-zucar-wind-farm-spain/
- https://www.evwind.es/2023/07/03/spains-transition-to-renewable-energy/92590
- https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2022-01-19/spains-green-energy-problem-too-many-proposals-too-little-time.html
- https://renewablesnow.com/news/spain-to-grant-eur-150m-in-aid-for-wind-hydro-repowering-and-blade-recycling-787812/
- https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/05/18/spain-unveils-climate-law-cut-emissions-net-zero-2050/
