9 Nov, 2009 @ 19:35
1 min read

Wind record blown away

MORE than half of Spain´s electricity was generated by wind turbines for several hours this weekend – equivalent to the output of eleven nuclear plants.

The national record – set only days earlier – was blown away thanks to the high winds that swept across the country.

For some five hours on Sunday morning, wind farms were producing 11.5 gigawatts of energy – 53 per cent of the country’s total output.

Just five years ago, critics warned that the Spanish grid could not support more than 14 per cent of its supply being generated by wind turbines.

However, last weekend the huge boom meant that the national grid had an excess of supply.

“We think that we can keep growing and go from the present 17GW megawatts to reach 40GW in 2020,” Jose Donaso, head of the Spanish Wind Energy Association, told El Pais newspaper.

It is estimated that a quarter of all energy produced in Spain is renewable, with wind topping the list, followed by hydroelectric power and solar energy.

The country is home to the world’s third largest quantity of wind farms, behind the United States and Germany.

The record-breaking feat comes as the UK government approves ten sites in England and Wales for the construction of new nuclear power stations.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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