Recommendation: Mandate that 100% of electricity be from renewable sources by 2050

Climate Scorecard recommends that Spain implement a policy mandating 100% of their electricity come from renewable sources by 2050, with the goal of having an economy with net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Spanish government announced in mid-2018 that it would be gearing up to work toward making 100% of its electrical power from renewable sources. Spain has enough solar and wind resources to be able to reach this goal, and the sunny and windy climate of the country lends well to such a natural collection of energy.

Spain is located in a particularly​ vulnerability area in regards to the impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures, variation in rainfall patterns, or droughts can have serious effects on sectors such as agriculture, livestock, forestry, and tourism, as well as negative impacts on the health of the population. Fighting climate change from Spain is, therefore, a question of responsibility for the present and the future of the country. It is also an obligation in line with the commitments it has made as a Member State of the EU and part of the Paris Agreement. In line with this, Spain must implement policies aimed at achieving carbon neutrality. A policy that commits the country to having 100% of its electricity derive from renewable sources by 2050 goes a long way towards meeting this goal.

This policy should be included in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC by its acronym in Spanish) since it defines the objectives of reducing GHG. The PNIEC is a programmatic document that must be submitted to the European Commission for evaluation of its implementation.

The policy impact of our recommendation will be measured through the following indicators: the annual consumption of primary energy by type of source; the “renewable” power installed by type of technology; and the energy generated by type of renewable source and the annual production of biofuels.

The deployment of renewable storage technologies will require the establishment of sectoral regulatory frameworks that provide adequate economic signals to undertake these investments. Thus, it will be necessary to redesign the current services or regulate new ones for the operation of the system. These services are currently focused on the flexible operation of power plants based on fossil fuels. In the future these services should be provided by renewable energies, by storage in any of its forms, as well as by demand management.

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Contact

Teresa Ribera Rodriguez, Minister of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge

Address: Plaza San Juan de la Cruz

Phone: 91 597 65 77 / 91 597 65 78

Email: informacionma@mapama.es

Alberto Nadal Belda, Institute for Diversification and Saving of Energy

Address: c/Madera 8, 28004-Madrid

Phone:  913 146 673

Email: ciudadano@idae.es

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This post was submitted by Spain Country Manager Wendy Paredes

Image Source: https://energyandcommerce.com.mx/costos-de-generacion-de-energia-irena/