Spain set a record in April: 40% of the energy the country produced last month came from renewable sources. While this is a milestone, it is still insufficient to resolve the current crisis.
Ember, the international energy analysis group, concluded on the April 2022 figures that the sum of wind and solar energy in Spain has surpassed the previous record of May 2021. A year ago, 38.9% of the energy produced in Spain came from renewable wind and solar sources.
Renewable energy in many countries only a quarter of total production
In recent years, Ember has collected data on electricity generation and importation from more than 75 countries. This represents 93% of global energy production. Overall, many countries manage to generate at least a quarter of the energy produced from renewable sources.
Spain and the Netherlands set the tone in Europe
Within Europe, Spain and the Netherlands are at the forefront in this area. According to Ember, a worldwide acceleration of the production of natural energy has been visible for several years now. Since 2015, the production of wind and solar energy has doubled. Furthermore, these sources already account for 10% of global energy production.
Spain is at the forefront of this trend: According to Ember’s reports, Spain has managed to reduce the share of fossil fuels by 8% in the past 2 years. This is done by using natural energy sources. Although it is not moving as fast as several agencies would like, the trend is clearly visible and consistent.
Spain looking for a role within the EU and the right energy independence strategy
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European countries have become even more eager to stop being dependent on energy production from Russia. Since then, and partly because of the rising energy prices, finding the right strategy towards independent and sustainable energy production has been on the political agenda in Spain.
Spain shows that it can play an important role in the field of sustainable energy. According to Ember, it is clear that renewable energy sources are the most sustainable path to energy independence for countries like Spain. However, that road is long, expensive and not without its problems.
According to the organisation, this means that an energy crisis is not immediately solved after a milestone such as that of April. Spain will have to coordinate the strategy clearly, both with all responsible politicians and companies in Spain, and with the relevant parties in the rest of Europe.
