Exploiting renewable resources will allow nations to become less reliant on each other and global market volatilities. It will also provide further opportunities for investment in new industries and new technologies.

The availability of specific traditional forms of renewable energy (wind, solar, water) and their potential to contribute to a country’s renewable energy resources are greatly affected by that country’s geography and climate.

The PNIEC establishes that, in 2030, renewable energy must represent 42% of gross final energy consumption and 74% of power generation in Spain. The PNIEC defines a series of intermediate targets for the share of renewable energies, setting it to 30% by 2025. This means that renewable electricity generation will have to increase, according to the data contained in the PNIEC, by approximately 3,300 kilotonnes of oil equivalent in the period 2022-2025, which will require a rapid increase in the capacity of the generation fleet from renewable energy sources.

To bring about this plan, many studies have been conducted to assess the potential of most renewable energies. Among them are the Spanish Wind Atlas (that provides a preliminary assessment of the wind resources available throughout Spain), the potential biomass project, a study on how to generate energy from waves and other studies on the use of solar energy.

The conclusion to be drawn from these studies is that the potential for renewable energies in Spain is great. In first place among renewable energies is solar energy, and in second place is wind energy (generating around 340 gigawatts). Hydroelectric potential generates around 33 gigawatts.