The promotion of renewable energies in Spain is already unstoppable, to such an extent that the president of Red Eléctrica, Beatriz Corredor, is confident that during this year 2023 half of all the energy, 50%, that is produced in Spain already comes from The renewable energies.
This was confirmed this Thursday by Beatriz Corredor, president of Red Eléctrica, during the presentation of the Electricity System Report and its 2022 Renewable Energy Report.
A year in which the prominence of the new renewables skyrocketed. 5.9 new gigawatts (GW) were added to the Spanish generating park, of which 4.5 GW were photovoltaic and 1.4 GW wind.
This investment impulse, together with the impact of the drought, which reduced the use of hydraulic energy, made photovoltaic energy position itself as the third source of energy in Spain, displacing hydraulics in the ranking.
Wind power continued to gain prominence 1 out of every 4 MW in service in Spain is already wind power. This new impulse has allowed wind power to represent 22% of the mix and photovoltaic 10% and both technologies to record production records.
In total calculation, renewables exceeded 42% of the generation structure in 2022. The drop of almost 40% in hydraulic production has prevented the share of renewables from exceeding previous records.
Looking ahead to 2023, the forecasts for hydropower are somewhat more optimistic, as are the data for new photovoltaic generation. For this reason, Corredor dares to venture that “In 2023, Spain will achieve that renewable energies contribute 50% of all electricity generation. This is a milestone,” he assured.
The President of Red Eléctrica was accompanied in the presentation by the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, who invited everyone to “take advantage of the opportunity that the energy transition offers Spain”. “It has an immense benefit for citizens and companies, but it must be done intelligently, with the environment and the territory; We are prepared, with our networks and our ability to help and consolidate solidarity at the European level ”, she acknowledged.
Both defended the leading role of Spain as a future supplier of electricity to Europe. “For the first time in modern history in Spain we are prepared to lead an industrial to economic transformation of renewables and digitization. We have the resources and a clear and forceful planning. It must be done with a lot of intelligence without forgetting respect for the territory, the environment, which are compatible with an energy development that we need in Spain and at a European level”, assured Sara Aagesen.
The reports presented confirm that Spain occupies the second position after Germany in renewable installed power and also in installed wind power. In the case of solar, it is the third European country with the most power in service after Germany and the Netherlands.
If the generation with these technologies is analyzed, the German country maintains the first position in the ranking and, after it, Spain is the second European nation that produces the most energy from wind and sun. “This has allowed an important exercise in solidarity with community neighbors. For the first time since 2015, the year ended with an energy export balance. It is also the highest historical record, almost 20 Tera Watts (TWh)”, Corredor assured.
With this demonstration, Spain obtains the credentials to present itself in Europe as a supportive, safe and reliable country to offer energy to its neighbors in the future, as well as the country where renewable energy generation can be more profitable, according to Corredor and Aagasen. . “We have had that rigor to respond to the needs of Spain and our neighbors France and Portugal. We have shown that we can do it and we will be doing it in the future with the H2Med”, said Aagesen.
Yes, but “without networks there are no renewables or ecological transition”, Corredor pointed out to focus on the challenge of digitization and expansion that Spain has to address to accommodate all the new renewable capacity in the system with special attention to connections bidirectional that claims in self-consumption.
To promote this strategic role in Europe, the Chairman of Red Eléctrica has focused on the importance of networks and interconnections with neighboring countries. “
In the Electricity System Report, Red Eléctrica analyzes the evolution of other magnitudes such as electricity consumption, emissions, or electricity markets, among others. Specifically, this document highlights that the demand for electrical energy in Spain during the year 2022 presented a decrease of 2.4% compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 250.4 TWh demanded. Once corrected for the influence of working hours and temperatures, a reduction of 3.3% results.
The Red Eléctrica publication also dedicates a chapter to the analysis of the transmission network, which in 2022 has reached more than 45,100 km and has demonstrated its resilience, with more than 98% availability at the national level of the elements that make it up .
