Staff Reporter
Climate change is a severe worry all over the world. It affects people in Spain in a number of ways. Let’s take a look at three positive green energy initiatives in Spain that could make a massive difference.
Spain, like many other countries in the EU and beyond, is making it its mission to reduce waste, commit to sustainability, and to ensure the overall longevity of agriculture within the country in a number of ways.
In every country, it’s up to the government and the people to band together to make a difference. So, let’s take a look at three positive green energy initiatives in Spain that could make a massive difference on our future.
Renewable energy – Spain is setting a high standard for sustainability
With the threat of climate change becoming increasingly worse, Spain is moving towards sustainable, renewable energy. The country’s power plants are setting a standard for sustainability.
One of the most crucial positive green energy initiatives in Spain is that by 2030, they wish to generate 74% of the country’s energy from renewable energy sources.
The country is already a leader in Europe when it comes to wind energy. In 2021, Spain had 1,265 wind farms, second only to Germany. This positive stance on sustainable energy is the perfect thing to read more about on the good news website.
Spain has such huge amounts of vast, depopulated countryside that would be perfect for wind turbine farms.
In this regard, one of Spain’s most desolate regions, Aragon, which sits between Barcelona and Madrid, has been referred to as the “Saudi Arabia of Europe”, a reference to Saudi Arabia’s position as one of the world’s leading energy producers.
As of right now, renewable energy sources account for nearly a 47% share of the generation mix nationwide, and it is the hope that in eight years’ time, 74% of the country’s energy will come from sustainable, renewable sources.
Water waste – something that Spain has worked on and dominated in recent years
Spain is one of the most water-stressed industrialised countries in the world. It faces a very big challenge of ensuring long-term water security for survival in every sense of the word.
The country has gone through long stretches of drought that put a huge strain on agriculture. Climate change is a huge threat to Spain’s water supply.
Plus, during the hottest times of the year, Spain sees a huge influx of tourists, who use over five times the amount of water that a native Spaniard would.
The solution is water reuse. Water reuse is cost-competitive and sustainable. Incentives for water transfer projects are expensive for tax-paying Spanish people, and water reuse is a much cheaper alternative.
Water reuse means taking purified water from municipal sewage treatment plants for different purposes. A huge and key example is agricultural irrigation.
As of 2021, Spain leads European reuse with almost half the total volume and it is ranked fifth in terms of installed capacity.
From river basins, the contribution of the Jucar and Segura account for around 60% of water reuse in the whole of Spain.
Ending the use of fossil fuels
Spain’s fossil fuel permit ban follows the likes of similar bans by EU nations such as France, Denmark, and Ireland.
The law banned all new coal, gas, and oil exploration and production permits with immediate effect. The ban also prohibits the sale of fossil fuel vehicles by 2040.
The law states that Spain must end the production of fossil fuels by 31 December 2042 and has restricted the use of any fossil fuel subsidies.
This works in conjunction with the plans to generate most of the country’s energy with renewable energy by 2030.
When the law was enacted last year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, “For the planet, for our future and for the next generations.
“From today, Spain has a climate law on which to build a green, sustainable, fair and prosperous future for all”.
However, many think that given Spain’s industrial status, the country needs to set its targets a little bit lower.
David Howell, head of the environmental governance at NGO SEO Birdlife, said that as Spain’s goals are quite far behind the rest of EU countries, the country will have to make a “huge effort” to catch up.
He said, “We think 55% is what Spain should be setting out to achieve as an industrialised nation with historic responsibility”.
So there you have it, three positive green energy initiatives in Spain that, if carried through, are sure to make a huge environmental impact.
