Solar PV Leads Spain’s Electricity Mix for Fourth Consecutive Month as Generation Hits Record High

Solar photovoltaic generation remained the leading source of electricity in Spain for the fourth consecutive month in July 2026, reaching a new monthly record as strong solar output continued to strengthen the country’s renewable electricity mix.

According to data published by Spanish electricity company Red Eléctrica, solar PV generated 7,696 GWh of electricity in July, accounting for 28.3% of Spain’s total electricity generation. The result represents a new all-time monthly record for solar generation and further highlights the growing contribution of photovoltaic power to Spain’s electricity system.

The strong performance of solar generation also contributed to a new monthly record for overall renewable electricity production. Renewable sources generated a combined 14,699 GWh during July, representing 54.1% of all electricity generated in Spain and an increase of 5.8% compared with July 2025.

When electricity generated by self-consumption installations is included, estimated at 1,654 GWh during the month, the share of renewable energy in Spain’s electricity mix rises further to 55.7%. This indicates the increasingly important role being played not only by utility-scale solar projects, but also by distributed and self-consumption PV systems.

The increase in solar generation occurred alongside a significant rise in electricity demand, driven partly by high temperatures during the month. After adjusting for the effects of temperature and working days, national electricity demand increased by 3.5% year on year. In gross terms, electricity demand reached 25,144 GWh, representing a 6.9% increase from July 2025 and the highest monthly consumption level recorded in Spain since January 2008.

Despite the rapid growth of renewable generation, conventional generation technologies continued to provide a significant share of Spain’s electricity supply. Following photovoltaics, combined-cycle gas turbines accounted for 20.1% of electricity generation in July, followed by nuclear power at 18.2%, wind power at 14.4%, and hydropower at 7.6%.

Overall, technologies with zero carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions accounted for 72.4% of Spain’s total electricity generation in July, representing an increase of 7.7 percentage points compared with the same month a year earlier. The figure demonstrates the continued acceleration of Spain’s transition toward a lower-carbon electricity system.

Energy storage also played an increasingly important role in integrating the country’s growing renewable generation. During July, 906 GWh of electricity was integrated into the grid through battery and pumped-hydro storage systems, while 510 GWh was subsequently discharged back into the electricity system.

By the end of July, these storage infrastructures had accumulated approximately 396 GWh of stored energy. The stored electricity helped shift part of Spain’s renewable generation from periods of high production toward periods of peak electricity demand, improving system flexibility and supporting the integration of additional renewable capacity.

The latest figures highlight the increasingly interconnected development of solar PV and energy storage in Spain. As photovoltaic generation reaches record levels, storage technologies are becoming increasingly important for managing generation variability, shifting renewable electricity to higher-demand periods and maintaining flexibility across the power system.

Spain’s July electricity data therefore points to a broader trend in the European energy transition: the rapid expansion of solar generation is increasingly being accompanied by greater deployment and utilization of energy storage infrastructure, allowing renewable electricity to contribute a larger share of national power demand while supporting grid reliability.