Spain's renewables share drops to 37.6% in July

Carpio de Tajo solar farm in Toledo, Spain. Image by Naturgy (www.naturgy.com)

August 4 (Renewables Now) - The renewables shares in Spain’s total power production fell to 37.6% in July from 39.2% the month before, as the country continued to wrestle with high temperatures and heat waves.

Spain’s demand for electricity in July rose by 2.9% year-on-year to an estimated 23,552 GWh. Adjusted for calendar and temperature effects, demand increased by just 0.3%, Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) said in its latest estimates report.

Wind farms again ceded their once production dominance to combined cycle gas and nuclear power plants. Solar photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) plants combined generated 4,037 GWh in July, the most ever for solar energy technologies in Spain, REE said.

More details follow in the table below:

Technology:	Share in July:	Estimated production (in GWh):	y/y change:	January-July share:
Wind	16.4%	4,328	1.1%	21.7%
Hydro	4.1%	1,075	-51.3%	6.8%
Solar PV	12.7%	3,346	27.9%	10.6%
Solar CSP	2.6%	691	-16.6%	1.7%
Other renewables:	1.6%	423	19.9%	1.8%
Nuclear:	19.2%	5,074	-0.9%	20.2%
Cogeneration:	4.1%	1,071	-52.2%	7.8%
Combined cycle:	33%	8,710	134.3%	22.6%
Coal:	3.4%	887	184.5%	3%

Demand for power on Spain’s mainland was estimated at 22,038 GWh in July, up by 2.2% year-on-year. When calendar and temperature effects are taken into account, demand decreased by 0.5%.

In the Balearic Islands, demand rose by 18.1% to 709,839 MWh, while in the Canary Islands, demand increased by 9.9% to 767,731 MWh.

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