A combination of good meteorological conditions in the first half of 2018 has led Spain to cover 45.8% of the electricity demand on its grid via renewable energy sources (the figure excludes the Balearic and Canary Islands).
Wind energy systems were the peninsula’s primary source of electricity, covering 22.6% of its electricity demand, the highest penetration of any type of energy, renewable or not. “Compared with the first six months of 2017, wind production has increased by 10.4%,” added the REE.
Hydropower also grew by a staggering 74% in the first half of 2018, compared to the same period in 2017, which was a particularly dry year. From January to June 2018, hydro energy systems generated 20,821 GWh, which corresponds to 16.9% of the total demand.
Solar energy contributed an additional 4.6% in the same period, comprising 3% PV power and 1.6% of electricity generated by solar thermal systems.
Taking into account the contribution of nuclear energy, which supplied 20.6% to the Spanish mainland’s electricity demand, and the second highest electricity contribution after this, wind, REE says that “technologies that do not emit CO2 into the atmosphere represented 67.5% of the generation of the first half of the year.”