Wind power was for the first time the main source of electricity in Spain in March, according to the country’s transmission system operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE).
Electricity generated by wind farms in Spain covered 21 per cent of the country’s electricity demand in March with 4738 GWh generated. Nuclear power plants accounted for 19 per cent of electricity demand while combined cycle power plants accounted for 17.2 per cent, says REE.
Overall, renewable energy technologies covered 42.2 per cent of electricity demand in March – considerably down on the 48.5 per cent registered in March 2010 due to lower production from hydropower plants.
In the first quarter of 2011, renewable technologies covered 40.5 per cent of the demand, a little less than in the same period in 2010 when it reached 44 per cent. Additionally, in March, 57.9 per cent of the electricity was generated by technologies which do not emit CO2, says REE.
Electricity demand grew by 0.1 per cent in March 2011 compared with the same month in 2010.
