Solar PV capacity grows by 28.8% y/y in Spain in 2021

• Spain boosted the amount of installed solar PV capacity by 28.8% year-on-year in 2021 to get to 15,048 MW at the end of December, Spanish grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) said on Friday.

With new capacity online, Spain's solar farms were able to enhance generation by 36.7% on the year and hold an 8% share in the 2021 power mix, REE stated.

The year 2021 benefited wind power too, as one out of every 4 megawatts mounted in Spain came from wind power. Installed wind power capacity climbed by 2.5% contrasted to 2020, with the nation flaunting 28,175 MW of wind farms in service by the end of the year.

The general installment initiative last year caused the addition of over 4,000 MW of brand-new renewables, which helped Spain reach 63,896 MW of green capacity, according to REE.

All renewables together generated 121,305 GWh of power in 2021, up by 9.7% year-on-year. With this amount of result, renewables got to a record share of 46.7% in the national power mix. Wind farms were the top producers last year, leading the blend with a 23.3% share, the grid operator stated.

On the other end are coal-fired power plants, which minimized their set up capacity by 34.3% compared to 2020. Last year, coal-burning plants created 1.9% of Spain's power, a far cry from their heyday in 2007 when they occupied almost a quarter of the nation's power mix, REE included.