2023 was the most renewable year in history in Spain, thus recording a historical production maximum (more than 135,000 GWh). The current situation of renewable energies in Spain is increasing every day, especially wind and photovoltaic energy.
Renewable energies are those that are based on the use of different natural resources, such as the sun, wind or water, as sources of energy, since they are natural sources that are renewed indefinitely. In addition, since they are energies that do not use fossil fuels, they have a much lower environmental impact, since they do not produce serious pollutants such as those that come from dirty, polluting or non-renewable energies. For this reason, renewable energies are known as green energies, alternatives to energies based on the use of fossil fuels, which seriously damage the environment through the waste they generate.
If you would like to be able to join the use of clean energy for your home consumption in your business, do not hesitate to continue reading this interesting article from EcologíaVerde in which we discuss the topic of renewable energy in Spain , talking about the laws and the current situation.
What are renewable energies?
To summarise, as we have already indicated in the introduction, we can say that renewable energies are those that come from energy sources or natural resources that are renewed by their normal cycle in an unlimited way. In addition, they hardly pollute and are also known as green or clean energies, the opposite of non-renewable or dirty energies. The main renewable energies are:
- Wind energy .
- Geothermal energy .
- Hydraulic or hydroelectric energy .
- Solar energy .
- Tidal energy .
- Wave energy .
The European Union and renewable energy
In 2018, the European Union approved the Directive 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources , which had to be implemented by the member states no later than June 30, 2021.
These regulations pursue key objectives to be met by 2030 , which are:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% , establishing an obligation to reduce these emissions, equivalent to 43% compared to 2005, for the sectors included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), and 30% for the sectors not included in this category.
- Increase the quota of renewable energy by 32% , for which a clause has been established under which a quota review will be carried out for the year 2023.
- Increase energy efficiency improvements by 32.5% , as in the previous case, the directive contemplates a review for the year 2023.
To help achieve the objectives set out in the aforementioned directive, fulfilling the commitments adopted in the Paris Agreement , the EU has adopted a series of rules regarding monitoring and reporting between member states, in order to promote transparency of member state governments regarding the implementation of the directive through better legislation, including consultations with citizens [1] .
You can find out more about the Paris Agreement: what it consists of, countries and objectives in this other article from Green Ecology.
Current situation of renewable energies in Spain
Spain has always been a country characterised by its high energy dependence on fossil fuels, reaching its historical maximum in 2008, with a percentage of 81.3%. Although it is true that this figure has been falling in recent years, the energy dependence of this country remains very high, standing at 73.4% in 2018, which places it almost twenty points above the European average.
However, on a positive note, it was in 2018 that the positive change in favor of renewable energy occurred. According to the Environmental Profile of Spain (PAE) carried out in 2018 and presented in Madrid in November of that same year, an increase in energy from renewable sources of 18.6% was indicated compared to 2017, according to data from Red Eléctrica de España, which implies a proportion of electricity from renewable sources of 38.4%. The PAE is a study that is carried out annually, complying with the obligation established in the Aarhus Convention, whose objective is to share environmental information, where each indicator is described with respect to its link to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals established in the United Nations 2030 Agenda . Learn about the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals .
In order to encourage the continued growth of energy production from renewable sources, and based on achieving the provisions of Directive 2018/2001, the Council of Ministers, at the proposal of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, approved the following Royal Decree:
Royal Decree 17/2019 of 22 November, adopting urgent measures for the necessary adaptation of remuneration parameters that affect the electrical system and responding to the process of cessation of activity of thermal generation plants, thus beginning the transition to ensure that Spain has an emissions-neutral energy system, which will allow it to achieve the objectives set for 2030.
This Royal Decree-Law includes two measures considered urgent, which will promote a socially fair energy transition and which we cite below:
- Granting evacuation access to the network: to this end, the standard establishes that procedures and requirements may be regulated so that social criteria (including the potential for job creation) and also criteria related to the environment are taken into account when granting access concessions to renewable energy projects.
- Granting of use of water associated with closed power plants: through this measure it is established that a decision may be made to grant a new concession for the use of these waters, also taking into account the criteria described in the previous measure.
The aforementioned regulations establish measures for the use of resources, as well as the value of reasonable profitability applicable to renewable energy installations (we recommend that you consult this other article about How to install solar panels ). It also updates the rate of financial remuneration in the production of electrical energy, reducing it to 5.58% between 2020 and 2025 (the last 5 years it has been 6.503%), resulting in this average in a lower cost of the electricity bill , both for consumers and for the General State Budget.
It is worth noting that in 2021, renewable energies produced up to 46.6% of electricity in Spain, much more than nuclear energy and natural gas together. And 2023 was the most renewable year in history and marked the turning point in Spain’s ecological transition. 2023 closed with a record share of 50.8% of the national electricity mix, compared to 42.2% in 2022. It should be noted that in the current situation of renewable energies in Spain, wind energy and solar photovoltaic energy are the ones that contribute the most.
Now that you know about renewable energies in Spain, to learn more about them, do not hesitate to consult the information offered in these posts from EcologíaVerde where we talk more about What are renewable energies and Renewable and non-renewable energies: examples and summary .
