In 2013 wind power was the leading source of electricity in Spain, but wind energy is facing huge regulatory hurdles – the latest of which will be discussed in detail at EWEA 2014 in Barcelona on Wednesday 12 March. We spoke to Jaume Margarit Roset, Director General of the association of renewable energies in Spain, APPA, to find out what’s been going on…

What are the main regulatory problems Spain has faced in recent years?

In January 2012 the newly-elected government introduced a moratorium on all new wind power installations in Spain and since then only the projects that were already underway have been completed.

Then a new regulation came into force which implies that all wind farms in Spain built before 2005 will not receive tariffs. This makes it very difficult for financing – your income estimates will change because of this. Some companies could fail.

The regulation works against investor confidence. When there is a framework that ensures good conditions, investments happen. When this is changed by the government, investors don’t know what is happening. The government has demonstrated that it doesn’t trust wind; that it is working in another direction. It plans to promote fossil fuels.

Why does the government not trust wind?

Ninety percent of Europeans say their governments must set targets to increase the amount of renewables in the energy mix by 2030, according to a survey by Eurobarometer – the European Commission’s polling service.

In a special report gauging public opinion on climate change, the European Commission [EC] found that nine in ten Europeans are backing an increase in renewable energy targets.

While the poll did not ask whether a rise in the targets must also be legally binding at national level, it indicates that European citizens are in favour of pushing ahead on renewable technologies.

It comes at a time when policymakers in Brussels attempt to thrash out a new climate and energy package for 2030. In January, the European Commission proposed a flaccid RES target of 27%, a mere 7 percentage point hike on the current 2020 target, and not enforceable on each member state.

EWEA is calling for a binding target of no less than 30%, which would encourage investment and create 568,000 more jobs in Europe.

Fossil fuel imports

Eurobarometer’s poll also showed that 70% of Europeans believe that reducing fossil fuel imports would spur economic growth among the EU’s 28 member states at a time when many nations, particularly in southern Europe, are implementing harsh austerity measures.

EWEA Chief Executive Officer Thomas Becker said on 5 March: “Let us invest in wind and renewables – European energy sources which do not have to be imported, which will not run out, in industries in which Europe leads the world. Renewable energy is already providing well over 20% of our electricity and can do far more.”

In a report by The European Wind Energy Association [EWEA] called ‘Avoiding Fossil Fuel Costs with Wind Energy’, data from the EC shows that Europe spent €545 billion on fossil fuel imports in 2012 — that’s around three times more than the Greek bailout up to 2013.

The full report will be released on 10 March at the opening of EWEA’s Annual Event in Barcelona.

More information: www.ewea.org/annual2014

Wind turbines are proving they can operate effectively for 25 years. That means a single wind turbine has a lifespan similar to that of solar panels and gas turbines, and nearly one-third that of human beings.

An Imperial College Business school study found that Britain’s oldest onshore turbines generate 75% of their original output after 19 years of operation. The study projected the turbines to remain effective through 25 years.

This is despite noisy claims from some quarters that wind turbines are only effective for a decade.

Sceptics have also been concerned about the greenhouse gas emissions created as a result of required maintenance on turbines over their long lifespans, but a different study showed that wind energy still minimises greenhouse gas emissions more than nearly all other energy sources.

“The new research from Imperial College London brings solid evidence that wind farms meet technical feasibility and economic viability requirements throughout their lifespan,” said EWEA’s Angeliki Koulouri.

The study should instill faith in concerned wind energy investors, said Richard Green, co-author and heat of the Department of Management at Imperial College Business School. He was quoted, “This study gives a ‘thumbs up’ to the technology and shows that renewable energy is an asset for the long term.”

In 2013 Spain achieved a world first – it became the only country in the world where wind energy was the leading electricity supplier over a whole year. The Spanish electricity system operator, Red Eléctrica de España (REE), reported that wind powered electricity met 20.9% of the country’s power demand, followed by nuclear at 20.8%.

Wind produced 54,478 Gigawatt hours of electricity in 2013 in Spain, a 13.2% increase compared to 2012. Nuclear meanwhile produced 2,377 Gigawatt hours more than wind last year, but its contribution to the power demand was lower because it consumes more electricity than wind farms to run its facilities, the Spanish Wind Energy Association (AEE) explained.