The capacity to generate electricity from renewable sources in the Spanish mainland is equivalent to 56.42 times the projected electricity demand in 2050. This is the main conclusion of the study “Renewables 2050: a report on the potential of renewable energies in mainland Spain”, presented by Greenpeace. Renewable generation capacity is so high that one could even consider the theoretical possibility of covering all energy demands, not just electricity, as it is equivalent to 10.36 times the total peninsular energy demand projected in 2050.

According to the study, the most abundant renewable resources are those associated with solar energy: with solar technologies available today (thermoelectric, photovoltaic and solar chimney) electricity could be generated equivalent to 45.3 times the electricity demand or 8.32 times the total energy demand of the peninsula in 2050, highlighting solar thermoelectric energy, whose generation potential accounts for 62.6% of the total renewable.

Greenpeace calls for a firm political commitment in favour of renewable energies, with more ambitious targets and greater economic resources, and to the detriment of dirty energies. Our country’s abundance of renewable resources should allow us to confidently address the next energy and climate policy decisions: renewables directive, premium review, green taxation, electricity labelling, energy planning, nuclear closure plan, National Emissions Allocation Plan and new Kyoto targets.

The very high potential of renewables contrasts with the timidity of the Renewable Energy Plan, recently approved by the Government to cover 12% of Spain’s primary energy demand by 2010. Even in wind energy, the biggest bet of the current plan, the power that would be possible to install, both on land and at sea, exceeds the current target of the plan by 53 times.

The aim of this project is to find out if renewables are sufficient to cover society’s energy demand and to verify whether it is possible to find the solution to climate change by completely replacing fossil fuels with renewable energies, together with a more efficient use of energy.