In April 2022 Spain achieved a historic milestone by getting forty percent of its electricity from wind and solar sources for the first time. The record surpassed the previous monthly peak set in May 2021, when wind and solar contributed 38.9 percent of the nation’s electricity, according to Ember, the global energy analysis group.
Ember notes in its report that over the last two years the share of Spain’s energy mix supplied by wind and solar has risen, while the dependence on fossil fuels has declined by eight percentage points.
This marks Ember’s third annual global electricity report, which tracks changes in the worldwide electricity transition over the past year. The study draws on energy production and import data from 209 countries between 2000 and 2020 and includes 2021 data from 75 countries, representing 93 percent of global electricity demand.
The trend signals a global acceleration in the adoption of wind and solar power, which have grown rapidly since 2015. By 2021 wind and solar were responsible for about one-tenth of the world’s electricity, as highlighted in Ember’s Global Electricity Review.
Wind turbines and solar installations have led the growth as the fastest expanding forms of electricity for the seventeenth consecutive year in 2021, with analysts forecasting that they will form the backbone of the future electrical system.
The study notes that several European economies, including Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, were on track to generate more than a quarter of their electricity from wind and solar by 2021. This shift helps to reduce dependence on fossil fuels imported from Russia and other regions, contributing to energy security and price stability.
In this context, the International Energy Agency emphasizes that to reach net zero emissions, wind and solar power must account for 20 percent of global electricity by 2025 and about 70 percent by 2050.
European Ember program director Charles Moore underscored that wind and solar are breaking records worldwide and should be deployed at a rapid pace this decade. He stated that reshaping the current energy system has already begun, with wind and solar offering a solution that is sustainable, affordable, and secure for electricity supply.
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The environment ministry outlined a plan that aims to accelerate investments in renewable generation and grid modernization to enable higher shares of clean energy while maintaining reliability and affordability for consumers.