Spanish companies have 9,210 MW of installed wind power outside Spain

As for the Spanish wind turbines manufacturers, 1,191 MW of their technology were installed within seven countries outside Spain in 2009.

AEE´s annual report reviews the sector´s current situation. According to GWEC (Global Wind Energy Council), last year, wind energy broke again the record of installed power in a single year in the world increasing by 31% with over 37,000 MW (China and the U.S. led the growth). At the end of 2009, there were 157,899 MW installed worldwide.

According to figures from EWEA, the European sector´s association, wind energy was the technology with the biggest growth in Europe with 10,163 new MW. In fact, 40% of new installed power in the European Union last year was of wind energy. EWEA´s latest forecasts indicate that by the end of 2010 there will be 10,000 new MW installed in the European Union, which would bring the total to 85,000 MW.

In the breakdown by countries, the U.S., Germany, China, and Spain in fourth place, are the leaders in terms of installed power. By regions, Europe leads, with 48.23% of the total installed capacity, followed by North America (24.37%) and Asia (24.64%).

The installed capacity of Spain increased by 2,459 MW in 2009, reaching a total of 19,149 MW (these figures include both the activities of national and international operators). This way, wind energy rose as the third technology of the system with demand coverage of 14.4%, reaching peaks of over 50% on certain occasions.

Forecasts for Spain

According to AEE´s forecasts for 2010, about 400 MW were installed in Spain during the first half of the year with an estimation of around 1.000 MW by the end of the year, representing a much lower growth rate than in recent years. The wind industry claims from the government a stable regulatory framework as soon as possible to end the current uncertainty and allow the sector to restore the stability and continue its normal development.

José Donoso, president of AEE, said in the letter that opens the annual report that "we will not get tired of repeating that our industry has done its homework. Not only have we produced clean energy, but we did so keeping the pace of the established plan, whilst creating our own industrial sector, which is a world leader and has its own technology, R&D and internationalization."

AEE´s annual report Eólica 2010 breaks down the data of the whole of the industry. Iberdrola Renovables and Acciona Energía maintain their leadership in the development of wind farms in Spain and occupy the first and third place, respectively, worldwide. Regarding wind turbines manufacturers, Vestas is still the leader in the world and occupies the second place in Spain. Gamesa is still the leader in Spain and ranks sixth in the world.

The report also dedicates a considerable amount of space to the remuneration of the sector. 2009 has been another example of the volatility of the electricity market by reducing the daily average market price of 42.6%. With an average market price of 36.96 €/MWh, last year saw the lowest price since 2004, a decrease mainly explained by the fall in the demand as a consequence of the economic crisis and the reduction of fossil fuel prices.

Regarding wind farms, the average price in 2009 was of 77.05 €/MWh for the ones benefiting from the RD 661/2007 and 74.07 €/MWh for those under the First Transitory Provision of said Royal Decree that allows them to receive the premium stated on the RD 436/2004.

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