LITTLETON, Colo. – Spain’s electricity system has reached a new clean milestone in 2023, as electricity generation from wind power exceeds electricity generation from fossil fuel sources for the first time.
According to energy think tank Ember, wind power will generate 61.09 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2023, more than the 61.04 TWh generated from all fossil fuel sources in Spain last year.
The cumulative production of wind power was the highest of all electricity generation sources in Spain in 2023, exceeding the combined production of natural gas (54.4 TWh), nuclear power (54.4 TWh) and hydropower dams (24.25 TWh). .
Together with solar power (40.4 TWh), Spain’s vast total wind power generation will bring the share of clean fuels in the country’s power generation mix to 75.1% in 2023, a new record and 66% higher than the 66% recorded in 2022. This has increased significantly from the percentage of
growth path
According to Ember data, Spain’s total wind power production in 2023 will be 25% higher than in 2018, representing a 27% expansion in wind power capacity between 2017 and 2022 to 29.3 GW. (GW).
This capacity increase was exceeded only by solar power, which increased by 192% to 2,052 GW over the period.
Spain’s efforts to clean up its power system have been further boosted by a 72% reduction in coal-fired power generation capacity from 2017 to 2022.
Additional renewable generation capacity is under development, with 5.6GW of wind and 14.4GW of solar capacity announced or under construction by 2027, according to the Global Energy Monitor (GEM).
Around 2.4 gigawatts of new hydropower capacity is also under construction, and no natural gas power plants are planned for development, so Spain’s electricity generation system will become even cleaner in terms of power sources by the end of the decade.
Impact on exhaust gas
Due to the increase in clean power generation in Spain in recent years, pollution in the country’s electricity sector has decreased sharply.
According to Ember data, total domestic emissions from electricity generation decreased by 45% between 2018 and 2023, with the amount of carbon dioxide and equivalent gases reaching 38.75 million tonnes.
As a result, Spain’s electricity system has established itself as the cleanest electricity system in all of Europe, and is second only to France in terms of the share of electricity generated from clean sources.
According to Ember data, as of January 2024, France’s share of clean power generation was 92.36%, and Spain’s share was 78.3%.
In comparison, the average across Europe was 59% in January, 54% in Germany and 43% in Italy, so Spain is already ahead of some other major regional economies in terms of energy transition momentum. It has established an overwhelming lead.
The pace of progress in clean power in Spain is likely to further accelerate in the coming years, with further rapid growth expected from the addition of wind and solar power facilities.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a Reuters columnist.
(Reporting by Gavin Maguire; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)