Spain's renewables share at 52.1% in April

A project in Murcia, Spain, equipped with Canadian Solar modules. Source: Canadian Solar.

Spain generated 10,967 GWh of its electricity from renewable sources in April, marking an increase of 0.3% compared to the same month in 2022, Spanish power grid operator Red Electrica de Espana (REE) said in its latest estimates report.

The share of renewables in total power production fell to 52.1% in April from 53% in March amid declining demand for electricity, according to REE’s preliminary figures.

Wind farms produced 22.5% of Spain’s electricity in April, becoming the nation’s leading power source for the sixth consecutive month. Solar photovoltaic plants carved out a new production record with an output of 3,563 GWh in April, or 5.4% more than in July 2022 when the previous monthly all-time high was observed, REE said.

Hydro power plants slowed down to levels below April 2022 after a recovery from last year’s droughts earlier this year.

REE’s estimates for major power producing technologies are summarised in the table below:

Technology:	Estimated production in GWh:	y/y change:	Share in April:	Share in January-April 2023:
Wind	4,728	-16.4%	22.5%	26%
Hydro	1,699	-4.6%	8.1%	11.1%
Solar PV	3,563	38.0%	16.9%	11.5%
Solar CSP	634	53.6%	3%	1.5%
Other renewables	283	-34.2%	1.3%	1.4%
Nuclear	4,573	3.6%	21.7%	21.4%
Cogeneration	1,591	-6.9%	7.6%	6.9%
Combined-cycle gas	2,810	-10.7%	13.4%	14.4%
Coal	253	-63.4%	1.2%	1.5%

Spain’s gross demand for electricity dropped by 9.7% year-on-year to an estimated 17,678 GWh in April. When adjusted for temperatures and working hours, demand declined by 7.7% in annual terms.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!

More stories to explore