Spain now has a total of 8263MW of wind power installed, and its wind poweris growing faster than any other nation's. But Germany still has more installed wind energy.
The Spanish Government has now revised its previous target of 13,000MW installed wind capacity by 2010 to 20,000MW by 2011, providing 15% of national electricity, up from the current 6.5%.
"It is a fact, not an aspiration or green dream, that wind energy is on track to be amongst Spain's leading energy supply technologies," said chief executive officer of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) Corin Millais.
"Installed wind capacity already exceeds nuclear and CCGT, and will this decade overtake coal and large hydro."
To enable swift uptake of renewables, the Spanish Electricity Act provides guaranteed access to the grid and a premium payment for generated power. The Spanish Government is also working with transmission operators, utilities, wind players and regional governments to create a strategic grid framework that will support the goal of 15% wind energy capacity.
"To dismiss wind energy as an expensive, niche green luxury, as many do, is to ignore what has happened in Spain, the world's number one wind market," said Millais.
"The political drivers in Spain have largely been about economic development, especially in the regions, creating jobs, competing in world markets, all against a background of surging energy demand, an increasing proportion of expensive energy imports, and recently a challenging Kyoto target. On all these points, wind is a winning choice".
Over 500 companies work in the Spanish wind power industry, with around 150 factories manufacturing turbines and components, employing over 30,000 workers and with the expectation that 30,000 more will be needed to reach Spain's 2011 targets.
