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Related: About this forumSpain becomes first country to rely on wind as top energy source
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/1/16/spain-becomes-firstcountrytorelymostlyonwindforenergy.htmlSpain's largest wind turbine, Arinaga, a five megawatt, 505-foot tall, is pictured at the end of a dike on Gran Canaria in the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands on Oct. 20, 2013.
Spain becomes first country to rely on wind as top energy source
by Peter Moskowitz
January 16, 2014 9:30PM ET
Spain is the first country in the world to draw a plurality of its power from wind energy for an entire year, according to new reports by the countrys energy regulator and wind energy advocacy group Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE).
Wind accounted for 20.9 percent of the countrys energy last year more than any other enough to power about 15.5 million households, with nuclear coming in a very close second at 20.8 percent. Wind energy usage was up over 13 percent from the year before, according to the report.
The news is being hailed by environmental advocates as a sign that Spain, and perhaps the rest of the world, is ready for a future based on renewables. But the record comes at the end of a very rocky year for Spains renewable energy sector, which was destabilized by subsidy cutbacks and arguments over how much the government should regulate renewable energy companies.
Despite the flaws in Spains system, the numbers are promising for green energy fans. The renewable push brought down Spains greenhouse gas emissions by 23 percent, according to another industry report from Red Electric Espana (REE).
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Spain becomes first country to rely on wind as top energy source (Original Post)
unhappycamper
Jan 2014
OP
madokie
(51,076 posts)1. It can't be seen as anything except movement in the right direction I would think.
NickB79
(19,258 posts)2. Between wind, solar and nukes, they're almost 50% carbon-free
Spain appears to be doing exactly what I've thought would be the best approach for decarbonizing a nation's energy supply: deploy renewables as rapidly as possible while decommissioning high-carbon energy like coal-fired plants. At the same time, maintain existing low-carbon energy until such time as they are no longer needed and/or nearing the end of their functional lives and can also be decommissioned.