Spain appears in the top 10 of leading countries in renewables but is hampered by a lower rate of decarbonization of the energy system

Spain is in tenth position in the group made up of the 11 countries in the world with the best performance in the deployment of renewable energies, according to a study published this Wednesday by the Climate Action Network (CAN) on 60 countries from different regions and levels of development. economic. Like the other ten countries, Spain appears in the category of “avant-garde” countries, along with others such as Chile, Brazil, China, Sweden and Germany, although, like the United States, its position is penalized by an insufficient reflection of the renewable power in the total decarbonization of its energy system so that it is 100% renewable.

The CAN is a recognized actor in the fight against climate change, made up of 1,900 civil society organizations from 130 countries and which makes itself heard every year at the Climate Summits.. Looking ahead to COP28, which will begin in Dubai on November 30, it has prepared, together with the Action Platform for Renewable Energy, a new edition of its monitoring report on how 60 countries that make up 85% of the world's population are doing. and 90% of greenhouse gas emissions. It analyzes them through the prism of 20 indicators related to the presence of renewables in economies, in energy generation, financing or challenges.

In general, Spain appears among the best placed, in the second best category, which in this case is the best possible because the first, “the champions” in renewable matter (“Champions”) has been left empty on this occasion and is not occupied by any country. It appears in tenth position on a list of 11 countries “at the forefront” (“Frontrunners”), behind Chile, Brazil, China, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway. Germany and the United States and ahead of Portugal.

These 11 are doing better than the other 49 countries studied – which are in the “moderate” category in renewable deployment, are “lagging behind” or, directly, “starting slowly” – because they are in the 40% of the first positions in at least five categories and are not among the bottom 20% in more than one criterion.

Despite being at the top of the ranking of countries' behavior on green energy, only Sweden appears to be on the verge – “almost” – of achieving the goal of having a system based 100% on renewable energy.. It is there alone with Uganda, which generally falls into the lower “slow starters” category.. In general, the study confirms that “countries are not on the path to achieving 100% renewable energy systems and must considerably strengthen their efforts, especially outside the energy sector.”

Within the category of countries at the forefront, Spain and the United States are also the only ones among those 11 leading countries that are among the 20% worst placed in the criterion of reaching 100% of their energy system with renewable energy.. The report recalls that industrialized countries like these two should achieve this goal by 2040 and the rest by 2050 at the latest.. At least, they are not in the group of countries that have to make a “180 degree turn” to “correct the wrong direction”, among them Croatia, Vietnam, Uruguay or Italy.

Regarding the criterion of “deployment” of renewables, Spain appears in the “top 10” of countries with the highest generation of renewable energy – in seventh place, specifically -, but not in the category of final energy consumption from sources renewables, which the CAN reminds that should reach three quarters of the total in 2050, compared to 20% today.

Despite this, the report highlights that Spain, Portugal and Turkey are the only countries out of 174 that have a renewable objective in the four sectors of use, transport, energy, industry and building.. Of the three, only Spain and Portugal increased – by 3 and 4% respectively – the percentage of renewables in final energy demand, unlike Turkey, where it has decreased.

Spain is also in the 'Top10' – in ninth place – in terms of “ambition”, understood as the new installed power and the existing prospects of adding more in the future.. On the contrary, it falls off the table of honor with regard to “financing” per capita, led by Japan and the United States among industrialized countries and Chile and China among developing countries.. As this classification is made based on the population of each country, the general scale does not reflect that, for example, Chinese investments are 15 times those of the United States.

On the contrary, Spain appears as one of the few countries that have reduced their investment in the last five years. Along with Portugal, Turkey, Poland and Russia, unlike increases in 17 other industrialized economies.

Against this background and before COP28, the Climate Action Network calls on countries to fulfill their commitment to decarbonize their energy systems, in 2040 or 2050 depending on their level of development, to triple their electricity from renewable sources and to double energy efficiency to 2030 and agree to a transition away from fossil fuels in a fair and equitable manner, as well as to create financial instruments to help developing countries meet their commitments “urgently and consistently.”