A report on the potential of renewable energies in peninsular Spain © Raúl Bartolomé Greenpeace Madrid San Bernardo, 107, 28015 Madrid Tel.: 91 444 14 00 - Fax: 91 447 15 98 [email protected] Greenpeace Barcelona Ortigosa, 5 - 2º 1ª, 08003 Barcelona Tel.: 93 310 13 00 - Fax: 93 310 51 18 Authors: José Luis García Ortega and Alicia Cantero Layout and design: De••Dos, espacio de ideas Greenpeace is a politically and economically independent organisation. Join by calling 902 100 505 or at www.greenpeace.es This report has been printed on paper recycled after use and bleached without chlorine, with Blue Angel certification, in order to preserve forests, save energy and prevent the pollution of seas and rivers. November 2005 Contents 1. Introduction 04 2. Hypothesis and methodology 06 3. The main results of the study 08 3.1. Results by technologies 08 1. Geothermal 09 2. Hydro-electric 10 3. Biomass 11 4. Waves 12 5. Off shore wind 13 6. On-shore wind 14 7. Solar chimney 15 8. Solar photovoltaic integrated into buildings 16 9. Solar photovoltaic with tracking 17 10. Concentrated solar thermal 18 3.2. Summary of results 19 Fully available renewable resources 19 Comparison with the Renewable Energy Plan 20 Meeting electricity demand: proposed generation mix 21 Meeting total energy demand: proposed mix 22 3.3. Results by Autonomous Community 24 Andalusia 24 Aragon and Asturias 25 Cantabria and Castile-La Mancha 26 Castile-Leon and Catalonia 27 Extremadura and Galicia 28 Madrid and Murcia 29 Navarre and the Basque Country 30 La Rioja and Valencia 31 4. Conclusions of the report and Greenpeace's demands 32 Conclusions 32 What Greenpeace is asking for 33 5. Appendix 34 Glossary of terms 34 Renewables 2050. A report on the potential for renewable energies in peninsular Spain 1. Introduction Greenpeace has commissioned the Technology could be in 2050. Finally, the maximum possible Research Institute at the Pontificia Comillas Uni- contribution of each of these is developed in versity to carry out a technical analysis of the terms of power capacity and electricity genera- viability of a system of electricity generation in tion, imposing environmental, social and techno- peninsular Spain with the maximum possible logical criteria on the type of land available. contribution of renewable energies. The analy- sis takes into account the main factors condi- Secondly, at a European level, Greenpeace has tioning the availability of resources, environ- also carried out specific analyses. In this area, the mental restrictions and other types of land use, German institute DLR has established a scenario the link between demand and generating for Greenpeace International published with the potential and the transport capacity of the elec- title “Energy Revolution: a sustainable pathway to tricity network. The results will be presented in a clean energy future for Europe”. This scenario successive reports under the general name demonstrates that the restructuring of the energy "Energy Revolution". system to meet ambitious environmental targets is viable, and marks out a transition to replacing This document shows the main results of the conventional energies with renewable ones, so report “Renewables 2050. A report on the poten- the latter could then provide half the energy mix tial for renewable energies in peninsular Spain”, by the middle of the century. the first in this project which is carrying out the most detailed published analysis to date in this Why this project? country of development scenarios for the differ- ent renewable technologies. The report provides Our energy system is at a crossroads. The mas- ceilings for the potential and generation of these sive consumption of fossil fuels, which are our technologies, clearly showing the different main energy source, is causing climate change restrictions both in terms of availability of energy which is already making itself felt. If we continue resources and land use. along this road it is highly probable that we will exceed Nature's limits, which could make it As a methodology, population and energy impossible for the majority of species to adapt demand scenarios were first drawn up for penin- themselves to such a strong, rapid change, while sular Spain, based on those already published by millions of people will suffer the conditions of an other institutions. Based on these and on com- uninhabitable environment in the form of parisons with actual and forecast development famines, floods, drought… for each of the renewable technologies, an analy- sis is made of what their position and activity 4 Introduction Meanwhile, governments and energy compa- much tougher than the current ones established nies continue to make decisions on multi-mil- at Kyoto. lion dollar developments without taking this · The review of energy planning promised by the reality into account, prolonging an unsustain- Spanish Prime Minister, which must establish able energy model for decades. There is even the energy demand it is planned to supply over the continual emergence of smokescreens (the the coming years, the energy infrastructures misnamed “clean” coal, construction of new that will therefore be necessary and whether nuclear power stations or extension of the life these will continue to be based on the massive of the current ones, the myth of the future construction of fossil fuel power stations or on fusion reactor, hydrogen obtained with dirty an acceleration of investment in renewables. energies, carbon sinks, capture and storage of · The nuclear debate, which must clarify how the CO2, etc.), presenting false solutions to climate Government is going to keep its promise to change while they conceal other serious envi- abandon nuclear energy and stand up to the ronmental effects and take up massive financial pressure from big companies which are trying resources which are vital for the real solutions. to lengthen the useful lives of the old nuclear power stations. The only real solution to climate change lies in · Reform of the electricity sector, taking into the complete replacement of fossil fuels by account the White Paper's proposals to guide it renewable energies, together with the more effi- towards sustainability. cient use of energy. However, each time this · The role consumers could play in being able to approach is presented, basic questions come up: choose clean electricity. are renewables sufficient to cover society's demand for energy? Do we need to develop The aim of this project is to find out whether renewable other energy sources to cover the supposed lim- energies are enough to meet society's demand for energy itations of renewables? or whether, by contrast, we need to develop other energy sources to cover the supposed limitations of renewables. The answers to these questions will condition a Ultimately, it is a matter of trying to confirm whether it is whole series of crucial political and economic possible to find the solution to climate change through the decisions that are going to be taken in the next complete replacement of fossil fuels by renewable few months and years in this country and in the energies together with a more efficient use of energy. area of the European Union and which are going to have a decisive influence on humanity's capacity to prevent dangerous climate change: · The next renewable energies directive, which has to set targets for the contribution of these energies to the energy mix for each EU country with the horizon 2020. · The National Allocation Plan for emissions for the period 2008-2012, which will determine this country's willingness to meet the Kyoto Proto- col Commitment. · The international negotiations beginning at the first meeting of the Kyoto Protocol signatory countries held in Montreal after the end of November 2005, to set new emission reduction targets beyond 2012, which will have to be 5 Renewables 2050. A report on the potential for renewable energies in peninsular Spain 2. Hypothesis and methodology The study starts from the following hypotheses: · Final energy demand: 109kWh/inhabitant/day, resulting in 1,525TWh/year. · Spanish peninsular population in 2050: 38.32 million inhabitants, essentially divided in Specific hypotheses have also been taken for the same proportions as in 2003. each technology. · Demand for electrical energy: 20kWh/inhabi- tant/day, which gives a peninsular electricity Concerning the methodology followed, it is a demand of 280TWh/year in 2050. This quantity is matter of determining the capacity and genera- obtained by extrapolating from conservative EU tion ceilings for each technology, with these scenarios, deducting a certain quantity from final understood as the power that can technically be usage demand for energies that are renewable developed with the technology considering the at origin (80% of electricity demand for hot water resources available and imposing the relevant thanks to the use of solar thermal and biomass technical limits for the development of the boilers; 80% of electric space heating demand resource. thanks to the use of bioclimatic architecture, solar thermal energy, biomass boilers and better The units used to express the capacity ceilings insulation in buildings; 60% of demand for elec- are gigawatts (GW, equivalent to a thousand trical space refrigeration thanks to the use of megawatts or a billion watts), while generation solar thermal energy with absorption machines ceilings are expressed in terawatt-hours (TWh, and bioclimatic techniques), but without includ- equivalents to a billion kilowatt-hours). The rea- ing savings due to demand-side management. son for using such "large" and not very common · Same division in 2050 as in 2003 of the propor- units is that they make it easier to express the tion of electricity demand per head in each very high quantities for ceilings which are autonomous community with respect to the obtained as a result. average for Spain. · Same electricity demand per head in all To calculate the capacity ceilings, we have provinces of the same autonomous community.