Castilla y León repeats as the autonomous community with the most wind energy generation and Zaragoza stands out in the ranking of the most wind-powered provinces.
4 autonomous communities generate more than 50% of their demand with wind power
20 Spanish provinces generated more than 1 TWh of wind electricity and 7 autonomous communities generated more than 50% of their consumption with renewables in 2020
Spain, a country rich in wind. Wind power is the renewable technology that contributed the most electricity to the electricity system in 2020, and the main generation technology in 5 Autonomous Communities, starting with Castilla y León.
In 2020, the autonomous community of Castilla y León was the one that generated the most electricity with the wind, followed by Galicia and Aragón. The podium in 2020 for the coverage of regional demand with wind generation also endorsed the role of this autonomous community in the development of technology. The 4 Autonomous Communities are net exporters of electricity.
Source: REE and own elaboration AEE
The generation with renewable sources in our country does not stop growing. In 7 autonomous communities, more electricity was generated with indigenous renewable energies than with non-renewable energies in 2020, an increase of three Autonomous Communities (Navarra, La Rioja and Andalusia) compared to 2019.
In terms of coverage of the regional demand with renewable energies, there are already 5 autonomies that generate more than 100% of their demand with indigenous renewable resources. The surplus renewable electricity in these autonomies is transferred to neighboring or more distant autonomies that are deficient in electricity generation through the electrical network.
Source: REE and own elaboration AEE
In this ranking of sustainability of the electricity of the autonomous communities, Castilla y León, Aragón, Extremadura, Galicia and Castilla la Mancha stand out, all of them with a renewable generation in 2020 sufficient to cover all the electricity demand of the autonomy. In the queue of renewable generation to supply itself, there are the Autonomous Communities of the Basque Country, the Balearic Islands and Madrid, all of them below 10% self-sufficiency with renewable electricity.
Ranking by provinces
Regarding the wind generation ranking by provinces, Zaragoza has reached the first position in 2020 thanks to the commitment of the Government of Aragon to wind power, and it has been the first province in history to exceed 5 TWh of wind power generation.
Currently, in Spain, there are 47 provinces with wind power generation, of which 20 generate more than 1 TWh of electricity thanks to the wind. With 1 TWh the consumption of 285,000 homes is covered. Next, the ranking of the provinces with the highest wind generation is presented.
Source: REE and own elaboration AEE
Juan Virgilio Márquez, CEO of the Wind Energy Business Association (AEE), has stated that these positive data on the evolution of wind energy in the territory is further proof of the wind sector’s commitment to the Energy Transition. “Wind power is undoubtedly already the backbone of electricity generation in our mix. Let us take advantage of the lessons learned that have allowed us to enjoy all the benefits of wind technology in our regions today and take care of 100% of its value chain in our country. We can live a prodigious decade again if we know how to design policies that move us towards climate and energy goals, while ensuring our industry. The economic recovery must be supported by wind power as a strategic sector, it must be supported by the Made in Spain wind power ”assures the CEO of AEE.
In the short term, the wind sector aims to incorporate 10 GW of new power in the peninsula until 2024, through wind energy auctions or other schemes and mechanisms, adding 30 TWh of clean and indigenous generation annually from that year, in addition to guaranteeing compliance with the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) in 2030 with 50.3 GW of wind power. It also wants to carry out the repowering of up to 5 GW of wind power until 2025. The presence of wind power in Spain is a commitment to clean, efficient and competitive generation, which entails social and economic development in many areas of the territory and guarantees the presence of the wind industry in Spain, as well as the creation of new jobs.
