Spanish Electricity generation from renewables in April set a new record, beating March’s previous record. PV Magazine notes renewables accounted for 54% of the country’s electricity generation in April, outpacing last month’s total of 51.8%.

Spanish hydropower made up 25% of April’s overall electricity generation. Meanwhile, wind power was second with 22%. Solar photovoltaic energy provided 3.6%, and solar thermal energy had 1.3%, based on Red Electrica De Espana (REE) data.

While it’s still only the month of May, if the current pattern continues to hold, electricity demand coming from renewable sources may very well surpass recent years in the country.

In 2006, renewable energy in Spain accounted for 19% of the electricity generated. In seven years, those numbers have grown, reaching a peak of 35% in 2010, while keeping steady around the 33%-32% mark in 2011 and 2012.

Gazing ahead, with Spain marching towards a sustainable energy mix, wind and solar will need to lead the way. Last year, wind power provided 18.2% of Spain’s energy, while solar photovoltaic 3.0% and solar thermal 1.3% of total demand, according to REE.

Last February, wind power set a record for being the number one energy in the country’s energy mix, with 6 terawatt-hours (TWh) in January. Spain is targeting wind energy to supply 40% of the electricity consumption by 2020. Meanwhile, solar energy in Spain has lots of further potential. For example, Extremadura in western Spain, which is blessed with 3,200 hours of sunshine annually, recently announced a new 250 MW unsubsidized solar plant. Once built, the project is expected to be the third largest solar PV plant in the world, at a cost of €270 million.

Analysts may very well look back at 2013 in Spain as the year where renewable energy consistently supplied the nation with over half of its energy. That’s something to get excited about within the cleantech and environmental community.

Image: Wind turbines in Andalusia, Spain via Shutterstock

SOURCE: CleanTechnica