For the first time, 100% of Spain’s energy has been covered with renewables. The question is whether we can repeat it

If a couple of years ago It was a utopia Talking to produce 100% renewable energy in Spain, last year, showed, together with Portugal, how to lead the energy transition with 82% clean electricity. But in a display of energy ambition, last Holy Thursday, April 17, Spain managed to produce 100% renewable energy.

Short. At the end of 2024, Spain closed with an installed power of 132,343 MW in its electrical system, being 64.3% of the total renewables. Last Thursday, wind and solar energy covered with more than 100% of demand in Spain, According to the Spanish Electricity (Ree). Specifically, at 2:45 pm he reached the maximum peak at 114.42%.

In data. According to the statistics of the Spanish Electricity (Ree)the maximum energy of that day was 114.52% renewable and wind along with the plot reached 100.29%; while, nuclear did not exceed 12%. For its part, like He explained The Xavier Cugat energy analyst, the minimum clean energy data were 55.89%, and the plot together with the wind reached 25.88%; On the other hand, nuclear energy did not reach 7%.

Temporary nuclear closure. On Holy Thursday it was a fairly moved day, not only because of the steps of Holy Week, but because in terms of energy matter, the co -chip nuclear power was temporarily closed, leaving only two active nuclear, according to the middle the country. In total, five nuclear were stopped, which raised renewable prominence to more than 77% of the generation. And even with that scenario, According to Energy Analyst Pedro Frescothe situation was export and storage to the maximum, and even renewable energy was waste that was not generated.

This context reopens the debate on the nuclear closure calendar. Faced with those who argue that turning off centrals implies more emissions, energy expert Xavier Cugat has sustained otherwise: “Eliminating nuclear does not imply more emissions; it is the only way to continue expanding renewables, which are the only ones that are reducing emissions here and worldwide.” In 2023, According to Irena data The world added 585 GW of renewables, compared to just 3.9 GW of nuclear.

So is energy left over? With so many green gigawatts, the big question is what to do with energy when it is left over. Storage has become the great technical challenge and Spain has found a solution in its reservoirs. This system has doubled Its activity in the last 15 years and is key in network management, the last battery megaproject It is located in Gran Canaria.

What if there is no sun or wind? In Germany they call it Dunkelflautea word that describes that perfect storm in which there are cloudy days without wind, so the renewable generation plummeted. However, in Spain, this scenario is less frequent. In addition to having a greater solar irradiation and strong wind gusts according to which areas of the country, the system has the support of hydroelectric energy acting as a great stabilizer. Although we still partially depend on gas at times of low generation, the truth is that there is no “Mr. Burns” willing to cover the sun. The problem is not the lack of light, but how to take advantage of it when it is left over.

Symptom of something more or a day flower? More and more cases of countries are using 100% of their electrical demand with renewable, there are potential cases such as Denmark that wind production exceeds the total demand of the country or Portugal which managed to supply exclusively with clean energy for six days in a row. In the case of Spain, reaching this milestone does not seem a coincidence since it occurs in a context of strong renewable growth, reinforced infrastructure and improvements in network management. Everything indicates that it is not an anecdote, but a clear indication of a structural change that advances firmly.

A historic day. And now what? 100% renewable energy production in Spain marks a milestone and the final destination projected for nuclear. Although it has been a stable source, its high cost, the waste it generates and the thrust of new renewable technologies question their continuity in the energy mix. The key to the future will be to build a more flexible electrical system, capable of adapting to renewable variability and backed by modern storage and network infrastructures.

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