Renewable energies set a new milestone in the second quarter of the year by generating 61.5% of the electricity produced in Spain. This is the highest percentage in the historical series, as highlighted in the quarterly report from the Foro Sella Observatory of Renewable Energies, prepared by Opina 360 with data from Redeia.
The national electricity system registered another renewable generation record in the second quarter: 39,285 GWh were reached, with a growth of 20.4% compared to the same quarter in 2023.
This growth in green energies is largely due to the deployment of photovoltaic solar power, which increased by 20.5% and for the second time became the main source of renewable generation in the country ahead of wind power, which experienced a slight year-on-year decline (-0.3%). Additionally, the spring rains caused hydroelectric generation to nearly double compared to the previous year (a 92.6% increase).
By autonomous communities, the largest year-on-year increases in renewable generation in the second quarter were located in Madrid (62.8%), Galicia (53.6%), Asturias (37.3%), and Catalonia (35.7%), all due to the strong recovery in hydroelectric production. Conversely, La Rioja (-25%), the Basque Country (-15.6%), and Cantabria (-2.2%) recorded decreases in renewable generation.
The leading regions in renewable energy by volume were Castilla y León, Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragon, Galicia, and Extremadura, which together account for 82% of all green energy generated during the quarter. With the exception of Extremadura, all others have an internal renewable production exceeding 75%, reaching a maximum of 92.2% in Aragon. On the opposite side, Catalonia, the Canary Islands, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, and the Basque Country have renewable generation below 25% of the community’s total.
Green energies now represent 62.6% of the generation capacity of the Spanish electrical system.
Regarding installed capacity, the provisional REE data collected in the report indicate that in the second quarter of the year, 691 MW of renewable sources were connected to the grid. This represents an increase of 0.9%, bringing the total to 78,968 MW in Spain.
Thanks to the increase in renewables, the total installed capacity in the country reached 126,146 MW, a 0.5% quarterly rise. Overall, green energies now represent 62.6% of the generation capacity of the Spanish electrical system.
Foro Industria y Energía celebrates these positive data, which demonstrate Spain’s commitment to the transition towards green energy. Spain continues to make strides to lead renewable generation, but, as stated by Juan Francisco Caro, director of Opina 360, “there is still a long way to go to achieve the clean generation targets established at the European level.” Therefore, it is important to continue this path that will help advance quickly in the decarbonization of the industry.
This growth in green energies in Spain could be amplified in the future with the construction of 283 renewable energy projects, totaling 28 GW, which were authorized this week by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. This not only represents a significant step towards cleaner energy but also entails an investment of 17 billion euros and the creation of 300,000 jobs.