Why betting on renewable energy in Spain is an idea?
The oil crisis, the raw material and the supply chain, has made the entire world turn its attention to renewable energy in Spain. And it is that the origin of this crisis is none other than the great dependence of our societies on gas, oil and coal; the three most used and most damaging fossil fuels for the planet. Therefore, the most obvious reasoning is: if we change our consumption to other types of energy, this crisis-dependence disappears and the economic and environmental balance could be restored.
And the truth is that yes. But although it sounds very simple, it is not. Because if history has taught us anything, it is that all changes are accompanied by crises: economic, social, political, and all the spheres you can imagine.
Still, in our scenario, there is no other way out. In other words, the most feasible alternatives to our current consumption model are, without a doubt, renewable energies in Spain. Since, not only are they infinite, unlike fossil fuel energies, but they also generate clean energy. In other words, they have a less aggressive impact on the environment, which is why they are much more respectful of the planet, animals and ourselves.
But despite the fact that a transformation towards renewables is not a simple matter, the different and best options to transition to a 100% renewable change are beginning to be put on the table. That is, transform our consumption and production, to greener and more sustainable methods over time.
Main differences between clean and polluting energies
Before getting into the matter and explaining why Spain could play a fundamental role in the European shift towards renewables, we would like to clarify two concepts that we believe are important so as to not fall into idealization or romanticization renewables and be able to be critical and realistic with these clean energies.
Currently none of the ways of obtaining energy is completely harmless to the environment. That is, even in the case of renewable energies such as solar, wind or hydraulic, we will always see negative effects and an impact on the environment in which they are installed. Therefore, the first clarification is that both clean and polluting energies have a negative impact on the environment.
For example:
- The manufacture of solar panels or windmills emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases
- The installation of plates or mills drives away or kills the biosphere of that environment. Which creates an imbalance of nature.
- Renewable energy storage devices create visual pollution and noise in the environment.
And so, a few more consequences, which are really negative, and which we cannot ignore.
However, it is important to be clear that clean and polluting energies present, in turn, a clear and very important difference: clean energies have an immensely lower impact than polluting energies.
So, we can agree that the main differences between clean and polluting energies are:
- Clean energies have an immensely lower impact than polluting energy sources on the environment.
- Clean energies do not use up their raw material, unlike polluting energies.
- Currently polluting energies are cheaper, but in the long term, clean energies are much more profitable in economic and environmental terms.
Is it a good idea to bet on renewable energy in Spain?
Focusing on renewable energy in Spain, and taking into account the current social and economic context, we can say that our country can play a fundamental role in this energy crisis. And it is that, a country like Spain that has good solar and wind resources, can position itself as one of the main generators of green energy.
Currently, as we mentioned before, betting 100% on green energy is not profitable because large investments are still required to transition. However, there is no doubt that the trend is clearly set towards a renewable target. Which means that it will not be in the short term, but in the medium - long term, when we can see a 100% change.
And, as Millán García - Tola, global director of Green Hydrogen at Iberdrola, says, Spain has, unlike other countries, a possible diversification of renewable energies in Spain since it can do so through wind processes, as well as solar. For this reason, Spain is a good place to bet on renewable energy.
What was the Spain 2020 energy mix?
The energy mix is also known as energy matrix or energy mix and refers to the combination of clean and polluting energies that a country or a geographical area makes. In other words, it is a graph in which you can see at a glance the amount and type of energy that a country has consumed over a period of time.
Each year the energy company BP publishes its Statistical Review of World Energy, a report that contains all the data on the energy markets of the world. The 2021 report includes the mix energy consumption of Spain in 2020 and the rest of the countries.
Thanks to this type of report, we can see howin 2020 Spain increased the consumption of renewable energy and hydraulics (clean energy) and, due to the health crisis, the Primary energy consumption was greatly reduced, which, in turn, also reduced CO2 emissions. And although oil continues to dominate our energy matrix, the trend is that every year the consumption of polluting energies is reduced and they are increasing more and more by renewables.
Renewable energy and climate change
By now, it is clear to all of us that renewable energy and climate change are now two concepts that go hand in hand. The first is the only card that can save us from the second. Although, honestly, we are already late and we have many reports that have confirmed that there are irreversible effects, the only thing left for us is to try to make climate change as less aggressive as possible.
Even so, we must also remember that the trend, at least in Spain, is very positive. And it is that, for example, in 2020 we produced twice as much energy with renewable energies as with nuclear. Specifically thanks to the wind, hydraulic and solar sources that our country has, we were able to reach these historical levels.
The data shown year after year regarding the use of renewables only gives us hope for a more sustainable future and a leading country in the production, storage and export of clean energy .
