Spain's Wind Power Reached 41 Percent Over The Weekend

March 26, 2008 12:31 p.m. EST

Madrid, Spain (AHN)-- For a brief period over the weekend, wind power supplied a record 40.8 percent of electricity consumed in the country, the national industry association reported on Tuesday.

In a news release, Spain's wind energy association, Asociacion Empresarial Eolica (AEE), said a new record was set on Saturday, where Spain's wind power parks generated 9,862 megawatts of power.

The AEE explained that while this maybe less than the record 10,032 megawatts generated on March 4, 2007, unusually strong winds and a relatively low level of consumption due to the Easter national holiday - could account for almost 41percent of energy consumed.

The previous record for wind power gigawatts generated by Spain's wind parks was 10,032 megawatts, but as it was a regular working day this accounted for less percentage demand -- only 28 percent.

It was then that wind power generation equaled that of hydropower.

Spain, which along with Germany and Denmark, is among the three biggest producers of wind power in the European Union, is aiming to triple the amount of energy it derives from renewable sources by 2020.

Spanish companies, both turbine manufacturers and wind-farm operators, are among the leaders in the global wind-power market.Among these are Gamesa Eólica (world's second largest turbine manufacturer), Iberdrola (world's largest wind-farm owner and operator) and Acciona Energía (world's largest wind-farm builder and developer).

The industry currently enjoys a 30 percent annual growth.