Owner/Operator: Eolica del Perello
Ironically, the Spanish province of Tarragona — well known for its many Roman and Medieval ruins, archeological digs, and multiple World Heritage Sites — now has one of the most cutting-edge wind farms in the world. This wind farm recently added an innovative 3-MW wind turbine, which stands 140 meters (459 feet) high and is the largest nationally manufactured wind turbine installed in Spain to date.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain boasted a powerful world empire. Later, however, the country’s failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused it to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Now, in the 21st century, Spain is reemerging as a leader on the world stage. This time, the country is being recognized as a global superpower for its aggressive use of renewable energy sources for electricity generation.
Wind power in Spain
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the Spanish wind energy market saw spectacular growth in 2007, partly spurred by new legislation that foresees transitional arrangements for wind farms that started operations before the end of the year. A record 3,522 MW of new capacity were installed in Spain in 2007, more than doubling the 2006 increase and bringing the total to 15,145 MW.
The GWEC points out that there are times when wind can generate a greater percentage of Spain’s electricity than other generating technologies. For example, for a brief period of time, over a weekend at the end of March 2008, wind generated 40.8% (9,862 MW) of Spain’s total electricity consumed.
Conventional thermal power plants generate the largest share of Spain’s electricity, followed by nuclear and then hydro. But in 1999, the Spanish government set a target of providing 29% of the nation’s electricity from renewable energy sources (RES) by the year 2010. The European Union’s RES Directive of 2001 stipulates that by 2010, at least 29.4% of gross electricity consumption should be met by renewable sources. In 2005, the Spanish government also set a goal for the country’s installed wind power capacity to reach 20,000 MW by 2010.
As far as wind energy’s cost per MW goes, it is still more expensive than electricity produced by fossil fuels and nuclear energy. However, Alstom Ecotècnia, the wind turbine manufacturer, projects that the cost of electricity produced by wind energy will drop in the next several years as more wind farms are built (Figure 1).
1. Cost of electricity. As this chart shows, in terms of euros per MW, wind energy costs are projected to go down in the next decade. Source: Alstom
As of 2007, according to the GWEC, renewable energy sources produced 242 GW, or 5%, of all global electricity. The mix included wind (93 GW), small hydro (77 GW), biomass (48 GW), geothermal (9.6 GW), solar (8.5 GW), biogas (5.2 GW), and tidal power (0.3 GW).
The GWEC predicts that wind power will provide almost 29% of world electricity by 2030. In contrast, the International Energy Agency claims that 3.5% is more realistic. A report from the United Kingdom’s Royal Academy of Engineering concluded that wind power still costs two to three times more than nuclear energy, even after decommissioning costs are factored in. The dispute about percentages centers on the cost of back-up electrical generation needed for when the wind is not blowing.
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