Wind power in Spain

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Spanish energy policy anticipates generating 30% of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources by 2010, with half of that amount coming from wind power in Spain. It is expected that this will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 77 million tons.^[1].

Wind energy is one of the few technologies of the future where Spain is a leader in the field.^[2] Spain is the second leading producer of wind power in Europe (after Germany) and is in competition with the United States for second place globally.^[2][3] “Spain holds these positions as a result of the establishment of a stable regulatory framework, better understanding of the resource, and improved technology that have afforded considerable cost reduction in terms of initial investment, maintenance, and exploitation”.^[2]

Contents 1 Energy policy 2 Autonomous regions 2.1 Navarra 2.2 Galicia 2.3 Other regions 3 Research 4 Wind power industry 4.1 Exports 4.2 Gamesa Eólica 4.3 Acciona Energía 5 Future development 6 Opposition 7 See also 8 References

[edit] Energy policy

Wind power is an important energy source in Spain because the Spanish government has sanctioned a green energy approach to guarantee an increase in the country’s wind generation capacity, with aspirations to produce 2.1GW of wind power by 2010.^[4] The approaches of energy deregulation that have been initiated in Spain recently are generating noteworthy developments within the energy sector.^[2] Multilateral cooperation for involvement in wind power production throughout Europe has created investment prospects for the industry and lower energy costs due to the efficiency of the renewable energy source and its domestic availability.^[5] “In terms of installed capacity by the end of the decade, attention should be drawn to the difference between the objectives set by the autonomous regions and those set by the central government”.^[2]

[edit] Autonomous regions

The intended wind energy capacity to be installed in the autonomous regions by 2010-2011 consists of 20,000 MW.^[2]

[edit] Navarra

“Spain is currently undergoing a renewable-energy revolution, with the Navarra region set to be the first in Europe to be self-sufficient in renewable energy”.^[6] The US rating agency Standard & Poors, in a current investigation of standard of living in Europe, ranked Navarra, whose primary source of renewable energy is wind power, uppermost among the 17 autonomous regions of Spain.^[6] Navarra, Europe’s sixth largest producer of wind power, currently sustains approximately 70 percent of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources, wind farms being used most extensively, and has a 900-megawatt capacity of installed wind power, ranking it ahead of the UK, Sweden, and France.^[6]

Navarra lacks thermal, nuclear, coal, oil, gas fields, or hefty hydro-electric power stations, but does possess considerable renewable resources, which the Government of Navarra pursued to drop its foreign energy dependence.^[7] “Navarra’s economic success is a function of its small population (only 500,000 people), low employment, rich agricultural traditions, and most recently, a boom in rural tourism”.^[6]

Navarra was entirely reliant on imported energy until wind-power development and utilization began progress in 1996.^[6] Now, with its own renewable energy companies, such as Navarra Hydroelectric, projects are underway including the proposal of building the biggest offshore wind power production facility in the world in southwestern Spain on the spot of the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.^[8] The location contains shallow water levels that would accommodate an offshore wind farm while taking advantage of the widespread winds to produce power sufficient for 750,000 homes.^[8] “However, the plan has enraged historians who claim that the area is a war grave and that any development of the area could destroy archaeological evidence of the historic battle”.^[8]

[edit] Galicia

Galicia currently leads wind power development in the autonomous regions for the third consecutive year with an increase in wind power of 264 MW, succeeding Castilla La Mancha, who exceeded the development goal of 1000 MW, and followed by Aragon, Navarra, and Castilla Leon, and the remaining autonomous regions.^[2] Castilla Leon and La Rioja have initiated wind energy production, and the north-eastern area of Soria also holds the capacity to be an efficient producer; the possession of workable resources for wind power development is also represented in the Cantabrian, eastern and south-eastern coasts.^[2]

[edit] Other regions

Additional information concerning wind power production in the autonomous regions is outlined as follows:^[2]

• Castilla Leon had the highest capacity of installed wind energy in 2003 (289 MW).
• Wind energy capacity was increased in Aragon by 261 MW, nearly exceeding the target of 1000 MW.
• Navarra experienced an increase in its installed wind energy capacity by 26 MW.
• La Rioja maintains sixth place in installed wind energy capacity among the autonomous regions at 272 MW, of which 69 MW were installed in 2003.
• Murcia and the Basque Country have multiplied their capacities by a factor of three, with the installation of an additional two wind farms in the Basque Country.
• Installed wind energy capacity in Andalusia enlarged by almost 48 MW in 2003, resulting in the formation of a new wind farm to additionally produce 70 MW.
• Wind energy capacity in the Canary Islands, Catalonia, and the autonomous region of Valencia has remained constant since 2002.
• The Balearic Islands sustain a capacity of 0.459 MW.

Extramadura possesses sufficient resources to sustain the development and utilization of its winds.^[2] “Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems has gained an order by Northeolic Sierra de Tineo (75% owned by Denmark's Dong Energy and the remaining 25% by Spain's Northeolic) for 22 V90-2.0 MW wind turbines for a project in the Asturias in Spain scheduled to begin in March 2008 and slated for completion by the end of 2008”.^[9]

[edit] Research

The energy policy of Spain involves the integration of environmental outlooks of energy; organizations such as the Research Centre for Energy, the Environment, and Technology (CIEMAT) assist those endeavors by offering solutions to enhance the use of renewable resources and energy generation systems, expand alternative energy sources and resolve the dilemmas of Spanish companies regarding energy and its impact on the environment.^[2]

Largely concerned with advancing energy efficiency use in Spain, the Institute for Energy Saving and Diversification (IDEA) also seeks to expand renewable energy sources and energies.^[2] “If Spain meets its goal of generating 30 percent of its electricity needs from renewable power by 2010, with half of that amount coming from wind power, it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 77 million tons”.^[1]

Research concerning the production of hydrogen from the use of water by a wind farm is occurring at a newly installed laboratory in the Universidad Pública de Navarra under an agreement between Energía Hidroeléctrica de Navarra, Stuart Energy Systems of Canada, and Statkraft of Norway.^[10] The lab will replicate the power generation environment of a wind farm and examine the effects of an electrolyzer.^[10] “An initial phase of the experiment will utilize a budget of 180,000 euro, with later phases evaluating the use of hydrogen in public buses in the city of Pamplona, and a wind turbine designed specifically for hydrogen production”^[10].

Concentrated research is occurring concerning wind measurement in the Albacete region at Higueruela.^[2]

[edit] Wind power industry

“The business framework for the installed capacity of wind power in the Autonomous Regions was made up of more than 170 companies that included manufacturers (wind turbines, blades, towers, generators, multipliers, electrical equipment, etc.), suppliers (hydraulic and electrical equipment and equipment for controlling and regulating), mechanical construction and public works companies, installation companies and maintenance, exploitation, and engineering companies in 2003”.^[2]

“Spanish companies are leading the way in turbine innovation by increasing the size of turbines while reducing turbine weight, and are also developing new technologies to take advantage of wind changes and split-second power outages”.^[1]

The Spanish wind energy sector now hosts the involvement of over 500 companies, with approximately 150 wind turbine production plants and their machinery across the Spanish regions.^[11] The assets of the Spanish industry are being noticed and acted upon by financial analysts, as United States Ernst and Young in 2005 ranked the wind market in Spain among the uppermost in its index of “long-term country attractiveness”^[1]. Including those indirectly employed in supplying components and services, the total number of jobs supported by Spain’s wind industry has reached more than 30,000, and is estimated to double to 60,000 by 2010” (2005).^[11]

[edit] Exports

The national Spanish wind energy industry has begun to export its wind generators by forming contracts for the erection of wind farms in China, India, and Mexico, as well as Cuba, where work began in 1998 (2007). They also have contracts at a highly developed stage with Portugal, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Brazil, and Argentina^[2].

Ecotecnia, the second largest Spanish manufacturer focused on decreasing the weight of its wind turbines, currently manages wind production facilities in Cuba, France, India, Japan, Portugal, and Spain.^[1] The company plans on expanding operations into China and Italy, and was one of the original companies to put in a wind-power generator in Spain.^[1] The existing wind energy capacity for major companies in Spain is the following: Gamesa Eólica, 3281 MW; Made, 803 MW; Neg Micon, 715 MW; Ecotécnia, 446 MW; G. Electric, 343 MW; Izar-Bonus, 317 MW; Desa & AWP, 121 MW; Enercon, 58 MW; Lagerwey, 38 MW; and Others, 113 MW (2007).^[2]

[edit] Gamesa Eólica

“Navarra’s engineering group, Gamesa Eólica, the second-largest global wind turbine manufacturer, currently manufactures and exports nearly 20 percent of the world’s wind turbines, and is aiming to become a market leader in Britain’s renewable energy sector through its local subsidiary, Gamesa Energy UK”.^[6] The company values the distinctive geographical setting of Spain as a benefit to Spanish companies competing in the global arena.^[1] Gamesa Eólica currently operates plants in China, Egypt, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Spain, and the United States.^[1] Gamesa opened a manufacturing plant for wind turbine generator blades in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2005, creating 500 part-time building and operations jobs and 236 permanent manufacturing jobs; the building, operation, and upkeep of Gamesa’s wind farms, in conjunction with its two Philadelphia offices and production plant, formed about 1,000 jobs in the state over a five-year period.^[12] The company seeks expansion into Greece, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.^[1]

[edit] Acciona Energía

Additionally, Acciona Energía, the biggest global wind-park developer, currently operates in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Morocco, Spain, and the United States^[1]. The company credits its success to its initial stages in Navarra during 1994. Its line of work involves wind-farm operation, turbine manufacture, and the development of wind-power plants, and the company intends to expand into China, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.^[1] According to Cohn et al., “Iberdrola, Spain’s No. 2 utility, set up its first wind farm in 2000 and overtook FPL Energy of Florida in 2004 as the world’s largest wind farm operator” (2005). Iberdrola currently holds functioning facilities in Brazil, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and is continuing to develop wind farms in Europe and Latin America^[1].

[edit] Future development

According to Graber^[1], an area of needed improvement for the wind power sector includes “more-detailed prediction of meteorological information that could increase efficiency of wind turbines, allowing electric companies and wind-farm operators to predict with a high level of accuracy when wind will pick up and slow down” (2005). Additionally, three factors will control the further progress of wind power development in Spain: the capability of the wind farms network to hold all the electricity harnessed by wind power, predominantly in off-peak times, the cost of energy, and the environmental effect that the abundance of wind farm development in Spain could turn out^[7]. The Spanish wind power industry will be confronted with the following issues in the immediate future:^[7]

• formulating its development to be congruent with required supply agreements by the national electricity supply operator
• guaranteeing that the installation of wind farms occurs with recognition of the environment
• synchronizing wind power development of the 17 autonomous regions
• trimming down the investment costs to acquire sufficient returns with declining energy prices in the upcoming years.

It is also noteworthy that the supportive Spanish policies for wind power development have resulted in severe competition for construction sites among major companies.^[7] Political leaders in the autonomous communities have been frazzled by the numerous applications for wind farm construction.^[7] Additionally, according to Toke et al.^[13], “one in five applications receives significant opposition from local wildlife conservation groups, accounting for considerable delays, and the planning for specific schemes is the preserve of the regional governments” (2007). Finally, local possession of wind power is not present in Spain, but does not appear to take away from further development of wind power in Spain since a much smaller and weaker quantity of local anti-wind farm grid population inhabits the country.^[13]

“Sustained and robust expansion in Spain, a result of recent efforts to clarify policy structures, the offshore sectors in the UK and Germany, both of which are gaining serious momentum, and growth in newer markets, such as Italy, France, and Portugal, combine to create positive growth prospects for the industry, resulting in record level investments that will be well in excess of Euro 30 billion through 2010”.^[5] However, a further obstacle concerning wind power development needs to be tackled before Spain can achieve these ambitious objectives: construction of a central control center for all the Spanish wind farms, analogous to the control center used for traditional power plants.^[1] “Because a great amount of wind power is generated in northern Spain, a stronger connection to France and the rest of Europe to better manage power surges and dips is paramount”.^[1]

[edit] Opposition

According to Cohn et al.^[14], “On Spain’s Atlantic coast, bird lovers, fisherfolk, and tourism officials have joined forces to oppose the creation of offshore wind farms, claiming that they wreak havoc on birds’ migratory patterns, obstruct navigation channels, and blight the coastline” (2005).

[edit] See also

• Solar power in Spain
• Wind power in Germany
• Wind power in Denmark
• Renewable energy in the European Union
• Renewable energy in Germany
• Energy use and conservation in the United Kingdom
• Renewable energy development

[edit] References