Spanish windmills tilt country towards cleaner green energy

The Times
March 10, 2009
Graham Keeley in Barcelona

The rolling plains of Castilla-La Mancha are dominated by the windmills that provoked the fevered imagination of Don Quixote. But Spain’s relentless investment in wind power and other renewable energy sources has proved wrong those who thought it was tilting at windmills.
The sleek white wind turbines and hydroelectric plants that have sprung up across the country in recent years generated 30 per cent of Spain’s energy this year for the first time.
A wet and windy January and February boosted the amount of electricity produced from wind and hydro-power, according to the Spanish Grid. The impressive figure means that Spain has already completed targets set by the European Union in 2001 for renewable energy by 2010. In comparison, carbon energy produced 14.3 per cent and nuclear 20.9 per cent.
This is no flash in the pan, experts say. Spain is expected to keep up renewable energy production.

Miguel Duvison, head of operations at the Spanish Grid, said: “Even though in the next few months it will fall, renewable [energy] will not go much lower than [the current] level. The total for the year will be closer to 30 per cent than 20 per cent.” Last year wind power generated 16,740 megawatt-hours of electricity but the Spanish Grid and the Wind Energy Association (AEE) believe it can generate 20,155 megawatt-hours by 2010. The AEE says that in 2008 wind power saved Spain spending €1.2 billion (£1.1 billion) on imported fossil fuels, created 40,000 jobs and prevented the emission of 20 million tonnes of CO2 – or 5 per cent of the total.
Spanish backing for renewable sources has earned praise from President Obama. In a speech to a US wind power association last month he said: “Think of what’s happening in countries like Spain and Japan, where they are making real investments in renewable energy. They are surging ahead of us, poised to take the lead in these new industries.”
Spain also has the fastest-growing solar energy market in the world.
Green power
- Solar energy plants are expanding rapidly in Spain with 1,500 megawatt (MW)-hours of energy produced in plants in 2008. One MW can power 1,000 homes
- Regulations passed in 2006 require that all new homes must generate energy for 30 to 70 per cent of their hot water using solar power. All new commercial buildings must include solar panels
- The 16,740 MW of wind energy generated in 2008 compares to 3,241 in the UK, 3,404 inFrance and 23,903 in Germany
Source: Times Database