Euronews has named Spain “Green Country of the Month” for August, and here’s why.
Spain has been making continual efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and with the introduction of its first climate law in 2021, the country has certainly made some progress. Going into effect in 2021, the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law sought to implement a 100% renewable electricity system in order to decarbonize the economy by 2050, IEA reported.
According to its original announcements, Spain had planned to eliminate coal plants as a source of energy by 2030, but the nation seems to be moving faster. Galicia, Spain’s largest coal plant is scheduled to close shop no later than 2024.
Moreover, as Euronews reported, leveraging its sun and wind abundance, Spain is already producing more than 50% of its energy via renewable sources.
Apart from boosting solar and wind power capacity, Spain’s new climate plan includes energy storage and other initiatives, generating approximately 81% of the country’s electricity by 2030, Euractiv reported.
According to Euractiv, “the draft climate strategy sets a 2030 target of 11 gigawatts (GW) for electrolysers, which would be used to make green hydrogen, up from a previous 4 GW. It also plans to double the target for biogas production to 20 terawatt hours (TWh).”
Spain is also committed to transforming the rail sector as well, becoming a leader in sustainable transport. Apart from tripling high-speed trains, the country also introduced “free train travel on commuter and regional lines,” Euronews noted, in a move to motivate residents to reduce car usage.
IEA added that according to Spain’s new climate laws “by 2040, new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles must be emissions-free.”
