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España se convierte en el primer productor eólico de EuropaThe generation of electricity with wind power in 2010 in Spain reached 42.976 GWh, which means that, for the first time in its history, it surpassed Germany - 36,500 GWh - as the first European producer of wind energy, according to data from the Eurobserv barometer ' ER, the Observatory of renewable energies of the European Commission. Cover of demand with wind in Spain was 16.4 per cent last year, compared with 6.2 per cent of Germany.
However, Germany remains first in Europe in installed capacity, with a total of 27.214,7 MW wind-December 31, 2010. Spain occupies the second place, with 20.676 MW. This demonstrates the good functioning of the Spanish system, success producing more electricity from the wind with less wind turbines. In both countries, the rate of growth of the wind sector slowed down last year: Germany installed 1.551 MW and Spain, 1516 MW.
Spain lived in 2010 a year with high levels of wind, unlike Germany. In addition, Spain has lower costs of generation because its parks work more hours, has more modern than Germany wind turbines (our wind power market began to be developed later) and has a better system of integration in network thanks to the joint work carried out between Red Eléctrica de Spain (REE) and the wind sector. This is in the effectiveness of the Spanish model.
Like Spain, Germany features an incentives for wind power system based on environmental premiums, considered by the European Commission as the most efficient in Europe in economic terms. The new German parks saw last year 92 euros per MWh, compared the 77 euros on average they received the Spanish. Spain is Portugal, the country of the European Union with lower wind premiums.
