- Spain forecasts that the contribution to total final energy from renewable sources in the country will be 22.7% by 2020 and 42.3% of electrical power generation
- It may be possible to use this surplus through the trading mechanisms provided for in the Renewable Energies Directive, for transfer to other European countries that fail to reach their own targets
- The estimates were notified to the European Commission as required by the recently-approved Renewable Energies Directive
The contribution from renewable energies to the gross final energy consumption of Spain for 2020 has been estimated at 22.7%, almost three percentage points above the compulsory target set by the European Union for its Member States. Furthermore, the contribution from renewable energies to electrical power generation will reach 42.3%, with which Spain will also surpass the target set by the EU in this regard (40%).
These figures have been included in a preliminary report on the 2011-2020 Plan on Renewable Energies, sent by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade to the European Commission as required by the Community Directive on the matter (2009/28/CE), which sets out the compulsory renewable energies targets for the EU and for each of the Member States by 2020, together with the presentation by these States of National Action Plans for achieving said targets.
Prior to 1 January 2010, each member country of the European Union provided the Commission with a forecast that included:
- Their estimated surplus energy generation produced from renewable sources in regard to their indicative trajectory that could be transferred to other Member States, as well as their estimated potential for joint projects between now and 2020, and
- Their estimated demand for energy produced from renewable sources that will need to be satisfied through means other than domestic generation between now and 2020.
The Spanish 2011-2020 Renewable Energies Plan
The Spanish 2011-2020 Renewable Energies Action Plan is currently being drafted, meaning that both the setting and the targets for each of the renewable technologies over the course of this period may yet be subject to review.
In order to set the scene for the 2020 energy map, consideration has been made of the evolution of energy consumption in Spain, the rising oil prices in relation to said consumption during the 1990s and the substantial intensification of energy saving and energy efficiency plans.
The main conclusions taken from the report issued to the European Commission are the following:
- Initial estimates indicate that the contribution from renewable energies to the gross final energy consumption of Spain will be 22.7% in 2020 (the 2020 target for Spain is 20%), equivalent to a renewable energy surplus of approximately 2.7 million tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE).
- Medium-term forecasts show that, in 2012, the contribution from renewable energies will be 15.5% (the guideline figure forecast in the indicative trajectory is 11%) and, in 2016, this amount will stand at 18.8% (compared with the trajectory forecast of 13.8%).
- The largest development of renewable energy sources in Spain can be found in the areas of electricity generation, with a forecast contribution by renewable energies to gross electrical power generation of 42.3% in 2020.
In its report sent to Brussels, Spain makes it clear that the country is interested in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the trading mechanisms provided for in the Directive, in particular those regarding statistical transfers based on bilateral agreements and joint projects with countries outside the European Union.
However, in order to take advantage of the estimated renewable energy surplus, from which Spain may be able to obtain significant benefits through its transfer using the trading mechanisms provided for in the Directive, and taking into account that about two-thirds of electricity generation from renewable sources in 2020 is estimated to be of a non-manageable nature, it is essential for there to be increased development of the electricity connections between Spain and the European electricity system, a situation on which particular emphasis is placed in the report sent to Brussels.