Spain aims for 81 percent green energy by 2030
Spain on Tuesday adopted a target for 81 percent of its electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030 to meet its climate goals.
In the plan, adopted by ministers and sent to the European Commission, the government committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent compared to 1990 levels.
This represents an increase of nine points compared to the 23 percent target from the last plan for 2021.
To achieve this, the government has pledged to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources to produce 81 percent of Spain’s electricity from ‘green’ sources by the end of this decade – an increase of seven points compared to the 74 percent target in 2021.
“We believe this is an ambitious but achievable goal,” said Ecology Minister Teresa Ribera, who was appointed EU commissioner last week.
These goals will be achieved mainly through the increase in solar and wind energy, which have grown faster than expected in recent years, Ribera said.
This will reduce “Spanish energy dependence” on foreign sources, the minister added, expecting it to be reduced from 61 percent currently to 50 percent by the end of the decade.
In recent years, Spain has invested in solar and wind farms, mainly located in the sparsely populated center of the country, to take advantage of the Iberian Peninsula’s persistent sunshine and abundance of windy areas.
Spain produced more than half of its electricity from renewable sources in 2023 for the first time in its history, according to the country’s grid operator.
More than 23 percent came from wind energy and 14 percent from solar energy.
The plan also calls for government targets for so-called ‘green’ hydrogen – produced from renewable sources, as opposed to ‘grey’ hydrogen made from fossil fuels without carbon capture.
In total, the plan commits to producing enough electrolysers – machines used to make green hydrogen – to generate 12 gigawatts, up from the previously planned four gigawatts.
Spain is leading the way in producing green hydrogen, which proponents say is considered essential for decarbonizing industry and transport.
Madrid hopes to export the gas through a pipeline linking Barcelona to Marseille in France, which is expected to open in 2030.
However, critics say producing it on a large scale is a major challenge as costs remain high and infrastructure is so far lacking.
