The wind sector suggests increasing the national NECP target by an additional 13 GW

The Wind Energy Business Association (AEE) has sent to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) the analysis it has prepared to calculate the additional amount of renewable energy that Spain has to contribute to the revised common renewable energy target of the EU for 2030, which at this moment is between 40% proposed by the Council (member countries) and 45% approved by the European Parliament. This renewable and indigenous energy, in addition to being necessary to advance in decarbonization (the new common objective of the EU is to reduce CO emissions by 55%₂ by 2030 compared to 1990), it is essential to reduce the EU’s energy dependence (mainly Russia) and the high prices it has to pay for imported energy (mainly of fossil origin).

Based on the current objective of 32% renewables for the whole EU and taking as a conservative objective for 2030 to reach 40% renewables in final energy, and taking into account the increase in the energy efficiency objective that will also be included in the review of the 2023 energy and climate package, ESA’s analysis proposes to increase the objective of renewable energies in final energy to 53% for Spain (based on the 42% of the current NECP) and reach 82% of electricity from renewable sources (compared to 74% currently established).

Based on the analysis of the common EU objectives for 2030, the total contribution of wind power in Spain would amount to 134 TWh of electricity generated with 54 GW of power. And additionally, another 9.5 GW are proposed that would be dedicated to the production of renewable hydrogen (in line with the objectives of the “Renewable Hydrogen Roadmap” of MITECO); A key energy vector for the substitution of fossil fuels in industrial, residential or logistics processes that cannot be electrified.

The general wind objective takes into account both the repowering of existing wind farms and offshore wind as great allies to meet the need for indigenous renewable energy by 2030.

The repowering of old facilities is essential in order to make better use of the wind resource thanks to the technological improvements of the last two decades and the use of the electricity grid (with more hours of generation during the year). The repowering of wind farms reduces the impact on the territory that new renewable facilities would generate. In Spain by 2030 there will be 10 GW of wind power with 25 years old and 5 GW with 23 years old. So the repowering of at least 15 GW will be beneficial from an energy and environmental point of view.

As for offshore wind, in accordance with the “Roadmap for the development of offshore wind and marine energy in Spain” published by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, to take advantage of all the potential offered by this technology in terms of industrial development, naval, port, job creation and economic entrepreneurship for Spain, is established as a development objective for Offshore Wind 3 GW by 2030.

In total, taking into account the different scenarios analyzed, from AEE the following objectives for wind technology have been proposed for the objectives of the new NECP:

Power of wind farms to be repowered between 2023 and 2030, do not add to the total

It is also necessary to mention that the development of storage is a fundamental element for the integration of the new renewable power by 2030 -as set out in the Energy Storage Strategy that contemplates 6 GW for this technology-, included in the current NECP.

If the new wind and other renewable technologies objectives are met, in terms of the Spanish electricity mix for 2030, in total renewables would represent 285 TWh of generation, equivalent to 82% of total generation (compared to the 74% renewable electricity target of the current NECP), with the contribution of wind power of 134 TWh, 38% of the total.

What is necessary for Spain to achieve the new renewable targets?

To achieve the new renewable energy target for 2030, it is necessary to make a firm commitment to these technologies, which allow taking advantage of large renewable energy resources, with wind and photovoltaic being the technologies that can provide the most energy thanks to the competitiveness of their costs, which are much lower than those of fossil fuels.

Especially in the case of wind energy, there is an important industrial base that allows to manufacture all the components of the technology in our country, with the economic and employment benefits that this entails. It should be remembered that Spain is the second country in Europe in wind technology factories and also the second exporter of wind technology in Europe (in both cases behind Germany).

What are the main challenges for the future?

The two most important challenges in order to achieve the 2030 objectives of the current NECP and the one that will finally be approved next year, continue to be that there is regulatory stability (including auctions of new power) that allows investments in the necessary new facilities, and the processing of projects in a timely manner (according to the Renewables Directive in maximum 2 years). Without these two key ingredients, the 2030 targets (old or new) cannot be achieved.

Methodology used for the study

From AEE it has been considered of vital importance that the figures that finally reflect the new NECP for the whole mix come out of a model that, starting from the one that has been used for the version currently in force, evolves it respecting a diverse renewable mix, fleeing from extreme positions and considering the renewable energy vectors protagonists to date as the backbone, in addition to taking into account the objectives established in the Roadmap for offshore wind and marine energy, the Green Hydrogen Roadmap, and the Energy Storage Strategy in which clear goals are already established for 2030.

Therefore, in the calculations of renewable power necessary to comply with the extension of European objectives, a balanced distribution in wind and PV technology has been taken into consideration.

Whatever are the new objectives that are finally approved for the revision of the NECP, it will be essential to bet on mechanisms to maximize renewable production, which optimize the efficiency of the use of the networks and provide a predictable “base” component in the electricity mix. Betting on a combination of technologies, including storage, as default schemes in new facilities, will be essential to improve the manageability and integration of the large contingent of renewable energy in the electricity system.

Source: Energética