Wind Energy in Spain
2022 wind energy numbers
In 2022, the power supply generated from renewable energy sources reached 42.2% of total power consumption in Spain. This contribution was 4.6% lower than the previous year, mainly due to a sharp decline in hydropower production as the total power demand decreased by 2.4%.
Throughout 2022, wind power was Spain’s second largest electricity generation source, with a relative growth in power generation of 1%. According to the Spanish National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (NECP), the government is committed to reaching 20.43 GW of new wind capacity to meet the European targets for 2030. This will be the result of about 28.86 billion EUR (35.29 billion USD) in investment from 2022 to 2030. The Spanish wind sector installed a total of 1.67 GW of new capacity in 2022 [1]. Wind power is the number one energy-generating technology on the Spanish peninsula, accounting for 25.2% of installed power capacity.
To learn more about wind energy in Spain, please review their chapter in the IEA Wind TCP 2022 Annual Report.
National Targets
At the end of 2019, the Spanish government announced its final draft of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (NECP) [3]. The plan presents ambitious measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 23% compared to levels in 1990 and to create a 28% share of renewable-generated power through electrification and transport. That plan established that the combination of all renewables will amount to 120 GW in total installed capacity by the end of 2030. This capacity will translate into a 74% share of renewable electricity generation and a 42% share of renewables in the final energy consumption.
Progress & Operational Details
Spain installed 1,670 MW of new wind power capacity in 2022. These installations included 837 MW in Castille La Mancha, 492 MW in Aragon, 105 MW in Castille and Leon, 73 MW in Cataluña, 53 MW in the Canary Islands, 50 MW in Navarra, 40 MW in Asturias and 20 MW in Andalucía. The land-based wind power capacity increased by 1,670 MW, comprising 46 wind farms, which include 395 wind turbines. This brought the total capacity in Spain to 29,827 MW in 2022. Currently, 22,042 wind turbines are installed in 1,345 wind farms in more than 800 municipalities, occupying only 0.017% of Spanish territory. The average rated power of the installed wind turbines in 2022 was 4.23 MW.
National RDD Priorities and Budget
In September 2020, the Spanish Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy 2021-2027 [5] was approved with the main objective of doubling the amount of public and private investment in RD&D&I (Research & Development & Innovation) to 2.12% of GDP by 2027. The Spanish government considers wind energy a national priority. R&D activities primarily focus on landbased applications, including increasing O&M cost competitiveness, extension-of-life strategies for wind farms, optimised manufacturing processes, etc. Offshore wind R&D activities are increasing, especially for floating applications. National investments in wind energy R&D amounted to nearly 13.4 million EUR (14.37 million USD) in 2022.