Spain’s renewable energy power plants generated 52.5% of the country’s electricity in May, making it the month with the third highest share of renewables in the last decade.
The high share in May is only surpassed by the 55.7% achieved in February 2014 and 54.7% in March 2018, Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) said in its latest preliminary monthly report.
Wind farms generated 3,968 GWh, a 15.2% drop year-on-year. With the monthly share of 21.9% of the total national production, wind farms outperformed nuclear power plants as the leading source of electricity in Spain.
More on Spain’s power mix is presented in the table below:
| Technology: |
May 2020 share: |
Estimated production in GWh: |
January-May 2020 share: |
| Wind |
21.9% |
3,968 |
22.2% |
| Hydro |
15.6% |
2,817 |
15.4% |
| Solar PV |
9.3% |
1,864 |
5.5% |
| Solar CSP |
3.3% |
590 |
1.4% |
| Nuclear |
17.1% |
3,099 |
22.6% |
| Cogeneration |
11.7% |
2,118 |
11% |
| Combined cycle |
13.3% |
2,412 |
13.3% |
| Coal |
1.5% |
268 |
2.7% |
REE reminded that May was the second full month that Spain had spent under the state of emergency imposed to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19. As some lockdown measures were gradually being lifted, economic activity started to increase and with it, the nation’s demand for electricity.
Demand in Spain’s entire national territory rose to an estimated 18,366 GWh in May from 17,003 GWh recorded the month before. In annual terms, demand decreased by 13.1%.
In the mainland, demand dropped by 12.5% year-on-year to 17,417 GWh in May. Electricity was mostly supplied by emission-free technologies with renewables accounting for 54.5% of the total. Wind farms generated 3,894 GWh, down by 15% year-on-year, taking up a 22.6% share.
On the Balearic Islands, demand for electricity plunged by 31.3% year-on-year to 327,927 MWh last month. Combined cycle power plants were the biggest source of electricity, while renewables and emission-free technologies represented 7.6% of the mix. For the fifth consecutive month, coal-based plants did not contribute a single MWh to the Balearic system.
Power demand on the Canary Islands was estimated to reach 588,254 MWh, down by 18.8% year-on-year. The archipelago also relied on combined cycle power plants for most of its electricity, with renewables and emission-free technologies making up 16.8% of the local mix.
Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!
The Sierra Costera I wind farm in Spain. Source: Enel Green Power Espana
