Energy without greenhouse gas emissions
Renewable energies, especially solar and wind energy, are promoted to reduce external dependence and move closer to compliance with the Kyoto Protocol (very far away in the case of Spain). Since the end of the century they have been strongly promoted by the Government. Thus, the Renewable Energy Promotion Plan (2000-2010) aims to generate 30% of electricity by 2010 from renewable energy sources, half of this amount coming from wind energy, 12% from primary energy and 5.75% from biofuels. In 2009, 26% of the total electricity demand was covered from renewable energy sources, being further away from meeting the 12% of primary energy (7.6% in 2008).[35].
In 2018, 40% of the electricity produced in Spain was of renewable origin.[36] Regarding hydraulic energy, it accounted for 92% of electricity production in 1940, compared to 18% in 2001, due to the strong increase in demand.[35] By 2030, it is intended that at least 42% of consumption will be from renewable production. Objective that had already been achieved in 2020 with 44% renewables.
Law 54/1997, of November 27, on the Electrical Sector, and its implementing regulations, established the legal regime for activities intended for the supply of electrical energy, consisting of its generation, transportation, distribution, marketing and intra-community and international exchanges, as well as the economic and technical management of the electrical system, in accordance with the provisions contained in Directive 96/92/EC. Directive 2003/54/EC has been incorporated into the Spanish legal system through Law 17/2007, of July 4, which modifies Law 54/1997, of November 27, on the Electrical Sector.
Today, in Spain, wind energy is the main source of renewable energy, with Castilla y León, Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha and Galicia being the autonomous communities with the most installations since around 70% of the wind energy generated in Spain is concentrated in these communities. Furthermore, Spain is one of the European countries that has the most installed wind power compared to the total installed power in Europe, with 22.2% of the total, only behind the green country, Germany.
With respect to solar energy, Spain generates around 13,000 GWh of solar energy per year, concentrating mostly in Castilla-La Mancha, which generates approximately 20% of the country's solar energy. In 2017, this type of renewable energy increased by 5.5% compared to the previous year, positioning Spain in 4th place in installed solar power in the country. This puts us far behind the leading country, Germany. However, by having fewer hours of sunshine, Germany is not able to generate the same amount of solar energy as southern European countries such as Greece and Italy, which occupy first and second place in solar energy generated with respect to solar installations made in the country.
Spain is in line with other OECD countries regarding the production of electrical energy, with 30% of this energy of hydraulic origin. The evolution of hydroelectric energy in Spain in recent decades has always been growing, although its share in the total electricity produced has been decreasing (92% in 1940 compared to 18% in 2001). This is due to the increase in thermal and nuclear energy production in the last 50 and 30 years respectively. The installed power in Spain in 2008 was 18,451 MW.[38].
The hydroelectric plant with the highest installed power is Cortes-La Muela, in Júcar (Valencia), with 1720 MW, followed by Aldeadávila, in Duero (Salamanca), with 1139 MW, and Alcántara, in Tajo (Cáceres), with 915 MW. Other reservoirs with power above 500 MW are those of Villarino, in the Tormes (Salamanca), or Saucelle, in the Duero (Salamanca).[39].
The installed power of hydraulic energy and pumping in recent years has remained stable because it was put into operation mainly from the 1920s onwards, during the Second Republic and the Franco regime, and was already practically used to the maximum. Production usually varies depending on whether it is a rainy year or not.
Wind energy is a very important source of energy in Spain. The Spanish energy plan plans to generate 30% of its energy from renewable energies until reaching 2.1 GW in 2010.[42] It is expected that half of this energy will come from the wind sector, which would avoid the emission of 77 million tons of methane into the atmosphere.[43].
For some years now, in Spain, the theoretical capacity of wind energy to generate electricity has been greater than that of nuclear energy and it is the second European producer of wind energy, after Germany. In 2005, Spain and Germany also produced more electricity from wind farms than from hydroelectric plants.
Wind penetration increased steadily until 2013, then stabilized, supplying between 19 and 22% of national demand.[44][45][46][47][48][49][50].
It should be noted that during 2009 the generation of energy from wind was higher than that from coal (with 13.8% compared to 12% for the latter),[51] thus becoming the third energy source with the highest production behind the combined cycle and nuclear.
On January 29, 2015, the historical maximum instantaneous production occurred with 17,553 MW at 7:27 p.m. This power is equivalent to more than double the generation capacity of the six nuclear power plants that were in Spain that year (7,573 MW). Likewise, the maximum hourly production occurred that day with 17,436 MWh between 7 and 8 p.m.[52] Starting in 2018, both the power and the wind energy generated have grown again, reaching their maximum in 2021.
The potential of solar energy in Spain is one of the highest in Europe due to its privileged location and climate (it has abundant irradiation most days of the year). In fact, in 2008, Spain was one of the countries with the most installed photovoltaic power in the world, with 2,708 MW installed in a single year. However, subsequent legislative regulations stopped the implementation of this technology in successive years.[53].
In 2008, Spain built several of the largest solar plants in the world, such as those in Puertollano and Olmedilla de Alarcón (Castilla-La Mancha), with powers of 70 and 60 MW respectively,[54] but the development achieved by photovoltaics in the rest of the world considerably displaced them from the world's leading positions.[55].
Since the end of the 2000s, the installed solar photovoltaic power increased to reach 6,982 MW and cover 4.9% of the demand for electrical energy in 2013. During the following years, with the government of Mariano Rajoy, of the Popular Party, investment in solar energy stopped due to the cut in aid for renewables.[56] Since 2018, after the reduction of costs, the repeal of the so-called "Sun Tax", the change of Government and the European political consensus reached after the Paris Agreement, increased investment again.[57][58] The photovoltaic power installed in mid-2022 was 16,563 GW. If we consider the total of solar, photovoltaic and solar thermal energy, it is already the third in installed power with 18,867 GW, surpassing hydraulic energy with 17,094 GW. Self-consumption has also grown exponentially and is beginning to be significant.[59] Self-consumption is beginning to be significant, reducing demand by 2%, with the installed power at the end of 2022 being 5,249 MW and with a forecast of an additional 3,000 MW in 2023.[60].
Regarding concentrated solar thermal energy, one of the first plants with a solar tower and a heliostat field installed in the world, the Abengoa PS20 solar plant was built in Sanlúcar la Mayor, province of Seville, Andalusia.[61] Starting in January 2008, new solar thermal energy projects were launched, which came into service between 2010 and 2013, with plants currently in operation with a joint power close to 3 GW, most with energy storage capacity.[62]
However, solar thermal power has not increased its power since 2015.[63][64][65][66][67].
In 2022, in Spain, there are seven reactors in 5 nuclear power plants operating in different locations. During 2008, the gross production of electrical energy of nuclear origin was 58,971 GWh, which represented a contribution of 18.6% to the total national electricity production. Production increased, this year, by 7% compared to 2007, due to the fact that in this year some prolonged stops of the existing plants were carried out, to carry out planned work, and the recharging stops of 7 of the 8 existing units coincided in the year.[69] In 2021, production remained quite stable with 54,041 GWh, a contribution of 20.8% of the total national production of electricity.[70].
Both the installed power and the energy generated from nuclear have remained stable from the 1990s until 2006 because the construction of new plants was paralyzed with the nuclear moratorium policy carried out in 1984 by the government of Felipe González, of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party. Starting in 2006, the oldest and least powerful plants began to close.
Energies with greenhouse gas emissions
In the first decade of the century, there was a commitment to the creation of numerous combined cycle plants (Gas, or other fuel, is burned and the high-temperature gases move a turbine to generate electrical energy. The residual heat is used to generate water vapor, which moves another turbine with which electrical energy is also generated, increasing the performance of the system). In 2008 it was the year with the highest production, covering 31.5% of demand.
In 2019, it covered 11% of demand. The heat generated by gas or other fuel, which is burned to generate electrical energy, is used to heat rooms or buildings or vice versa, the heat generated by industrial machines for any purpose is used to generate electrical energy. The gas generated as a result of the burning of urban waste is also used as primary fuel, such as at the Zabalgarbi plant, in Vizcaya, Basque Country. One of the most important cogeneration plants in the country was that of the Sniace paper manufacturing group, in Cantabria, or that of the Tarragona Petrochemical Complex, of Repsol, in Catalonia.
By "fuel + gas" they refer to thermal power plants that use fossil fuels, which are not combined cycle such as: diesel engines, gas turbines, steam turbines or others. Since 2011, electricity has only been generated with "fuel and gas" in the non-peninsular systems (Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla)[40] On the peninsula they have been replaced by combined cycle plants that also use natural gas as fuel, but which are more efficient.
In 2021, the high price of gas, together with the marginalist pricing system of the wholesale electricity market and the increase in the price of CO2 emission rights, caused the price of the electricity bill in Spain to skyrocket to historical records.[71].
On December 1, 2011, there were 21 coal-fired thermal power plants in the country. In recent years, electricity companies have been planning the closure of coal-fired power plants in Spain, due to the loss of competitiveness caused by the increase in the cost of CO2 emissions rights, as a consequence of the European Union's policies against climate change. In August 2022, only 5 remain in operation, Aboño and Soto de Ribera, in Asturias, from EDP, Los Barrios in Andalusia, Viesgo, As Pontes in Galicia and Es Murterar, in the Balearic Islands, both from Endesa.[30] Most of them operating with very low utilization coefficients. its total annual production in 2021 being 4986 GWh.[72].