The Government trusts that more than 50% of this year's generation mix will be renewable

The Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, has said that 2023 could become the first year where renewables are responsible for more than 50% of the national generation mix, thanks to the transformation that the energy system has undergone since 2018.

During his speech at the opening of the V Congress of the Spanish Association of Electrical Energy Companies (Aelec), Aagesen highlighted the 250% growth of photovoltaic solar energy in the last five years, breaking its annual production record this year despite that there are still three months left until the end of 2023.

According to the latest data from Red Eléctrica consulted by EFE, between January and August renewables concentrated 49.9% of production, 13.8% more than in the same period of the previous year, driven mainly by photovoltaics, which until Today it has been able to produce nearly 29,000 gigawatt hours (GWh), its annual historical maximum.

By technology, wind remains the leader with 22.3% of the generation mix, followed by nuclear (20.6%), gas combined cycles (17.2%) and photovoltaic (15.1%). ), which has been the main source of renewable generation throughout the summer.

An energy transition that, according to Aagesen, represents an opportunity for the country with the arrival of numerous projects and investments, but it is essential that citizens begin to notice the benefits of this process as soon as possible.

Regarding the draft of the new National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), whose public consultation phase ended on September 4, Aagesen has estimated the number of allegations received at 400 from both sector associations and individuals.

One of the main actions of the draft is the promotion of renewable energies and storage and demand management to improve their integration.

Specifically, by 2030 it plans to have installed 62 gigawatts (GW) of wind, 76 GW of photovoltaic, 4.8 GW of solar thermoelectric, 1.4 GW of biomass and 22 GW of storage, in addition to 11 GW of electrolyzers for produce green hydrogen.

This new, more ambitious draft is based on the “reality and transformation” of the sector in recent years, with new roadmaps, the entry into force of the Climate Change law and the approval of the Repower EU plan of the European Commission. .

To approve the draft of the new PNIEC, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge held three mass sessions with more than 200 participants that reflect its future commitment.