Spain becomes first country to rely on wind as top energy source

by Peter Moskowitz @PeterMoskowitz January 16, 2014 9:30PM ET

In 2013, Spain produced over 20 percent of its energy with wind turbines; questions remain over its economic stability

Topics:

 

Spain

 

Energy

 

Environment

Spain's largest wind turbine, Arinaga, a five megawatt, 505-foot tall, is pictured at the end of a dike on Gran Canaria in the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands on Oct. 20, 2013.

Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images

Spain is the first country in the world to draw a plurality of its power from wind energy for an entire year, according to new reports by the country’s energy regulator and wind energy advocacy group Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE).

Wind accounted for 20.9 percent of the country’s energy last year — more than any other enough to power about 15.5 million households, with nuclear coming in a very close second at 20.8 percent. Wind energy usage was up over 13 percent from the year before, according to the report.

The news is being hailed by environmental advocates as a sign that Spain, and perhaps the rest of the world, is ready for a future based on renewables. But the record comes at the end of a very rocky year for Spain’s renewable energy sector, which was destabilized by subsidy cutbacks and arguments over how much the government should regulate renewable energy companies.

Despite the flaws in Spain’s system, the numbers are promising for green energy fans. The renewable push brought down Spain’s greenhouse gas emissions by 23 percent, according to another industry report from Red Electric Espana (REE).

Spain also has one of the largest solar industries in the world, with solar power accounting for almost 2,000 megawatts in 2012. That’s more than many countries but still just a fraction of the energy produced by wind in Spain. In 2013, solar power accounted for 3.1 percent of Spain's energy, according to the AEE report.