Spain's renewables reach 46.1% generation share in July

The Cruz de Carrutero wind farm in Palencia, Spain. Image by Iberdrola (www.iberdrola.com)

Spain produced 46.1% of its electricity from renewable energy sources in July, Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) said in the latest estimates report.

The share of renewables in the total generation came down just slightly from the 46.3% achieved in June.

The nation's green power production reached 10,411 GWh, up by 13.4% compared to July 2020.

Wind farms generated 4,279 GWh in July, which represented an increase of just 0.7% year-on-year.

Spain’s solar PV output rose by 35.4% on the year to 2,576 GWh, reaching the highest level of production since REE started keeping records in 2007, the grid operator said.

Nuclear energy led Spain’s electricity mix in July with a 22.7% share in the total production, followed by wind power with 18.9%. In the January-July period, the combined share of wind surpassed that of nuclear power.

REE’s figures for July 2021 are summarised in the table below:

Technology:	Share in July:	Estimated production in July (in GWh):	Y/Y change:	January-July combined share:
Wind	18.9%	4,279	0.7%	23.9%
Hydro	9.9%	2,229	21.3%	14.4%
Solar PV	11.4%	2,576	35.4%	8.3%
Solar CSP	3.9%	880	10.5%	2%
Other renewables	1.6%	357	2.2%	1.7%
Nuclear	22.7%	5,120	-0.7%	21.1%
Cogeneration	10.2%	2,307	0.1%	10.2%
Combined cycle	16.7%	3,772	-40.3%	13.1%
Coal	1.4%	320	5.8%	1.6%

Spain’s gross demand for electricity was estimated at 23,086 GWh in July, down by 0.5% year-on-year.

When compared to July 2019, the nation’s demand fell by 3.4%.

Other figures illustrating demand trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic are given in the following table:

Territory:	Estimated demand in July 2021	vs July 2020	vs July 2019
Mainland Spain	21,732 GWh	-1%	-3%
Balearic Islands	600,395 MWh	+13.5%	-12.2%
Canary Islands	715,842 MWh	+5.4%	-6.4%