Courtesy of IBERDROLA
The Sil -in photo- and
Meda wind farms, situated in Orense with an
aggregate capacity of 35.64 MW, were officially
opened in April 2003. |
Even Britain, following up on a detailed
review, mulls over the need for increased nuclear
capacity, Spain has the bit between the teeth as
it champions renewable energy, the web site www.
Taipei Times.com reported earlier this year. Spain
is at the forefront of the European Union renewables,
as the EU targets a 20 % share of overall energy
production by 2010. Wind farms are a major part
of the national strategy, as the position of overall
wind farm generated production is set to double
to 12 percent over the next four years, affording
the country some 20,000 megawatts of installed capacity.
Such comparison may not be precise,
in the US, one megawatt of wind power generates
about as much electricity as 240-300 homes use,
according to the American Wind Energy Association.
At present Spain, where the energy market was deregulated
in 1998, is second only to Germany and just ahead
of the US in terms of installed wind power capacity,
with 8,155 megawatts in December 2004, compared
with 14,000 megawatts for Germany.
Gamesa has become a trailblazer in
recent years, exporting its wind technology to China,
the US and France. The company is the second largest
producer of wind turbines in the world behind rival
Vestas, of Denmark.
Courtesy of IBERDROLA
Iberdrola is developing
a wave energy project, the first in Europe,
in Santoña (Cantabria), together with
the US company OPT. |
What’s more, from the dense
industrial base already present in Spain, many companies
have sprung up to develop technologies befitting
the needs of the wind industry, in fields such as
composites, steel, electrical components, and wind-data
loggers.
With 30 percent annual growth in
the sector, and a clear commitment from the Spanish
government to encourage private investment, technological
advances, and grid development, Spain is poised
to continue this trend toward powering its economic
and technological growth with the strong winds that
sweep over the country’s mountains and plains.
Solar power is also on the rise,
with Spain’s photovoltaic association ASIF
predicting growth of up to 1.100 megawatts by 2010,
twice exceeding government forecasts. Spain’s
first poly-silicon solar plant came on stream recently
in Cadiz in southern Spain.
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