Spain’s Wind Farms Break Energy Generation Record
What’s the Latest Development?
In a first for Spain, the last three months (November-January) have seen wind farms providing more electricity to the country than any other power source, according to a statement on Somos Eólicos, the blog of the Spanish Wind Energy Association. Also, a national grid operator reports that for the first time ever, six terawatt-hours of electricity were produced by wind power in January, enough to supply most Spanish households and more than enough to power smaller countries such as Honduras. Overall, Spain now produces about 25 percent of its electricity via wind farms, and seeks to grow that number to 40 percent by 2020.
What’s the Big Idea?
The country’s commitment to wind power is paying off financially as well: According to the blog, every euro put towards incentives has returned three. It’s a bit of good news considering the economic struggles Spain has been dealing with over the past few years. Not surprisingly, a European Commission poll states that 81 percent of Spaniards (and 70 percent of Europeans overall) think priority should be given to renewable energy projects.
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