The Canary Islands began to have a good rhythm in the development of renewable energies and the production of electricity in a clean way through them. However, it has not been able to advance at a good pace in the implantation of these energies for several reasons.
Only 7,7% of electricity consumption came from renewable sources throughout 2017. What has happened to the great progress that the Canary Islands had in terms of clean energy?
Delay in renewables
The Canary Islands have not been able to maintain the good rhythm that it had in the development and implementation of renewables. The delay it has in this matter becomes more tangible given its recent blackout in technological advance. This blackout of renewables has dire consequences for the conservation of the environment and citizens, since most of the energy consumed comes from polluting sources.
The archipelago has a great, indisputable and natural potential to generate clean energy, mainly from the wind and the sun. However, you are not getting enough of it. The origin of this energy blackout is due to judicial, regulatory and management reasons that cause public administrations, although with a clear and determined idea, to delay in the advance of renewables.
Impact of the absence of renewables
The reality can be seen when the electricity bills of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands are analyzed. According to the data obtained by the public company Red Eléctrica de España (REE) of the year 2017, Only 7,7% of all electricity demand could be covered with renewable energies. These sources were wind and photovoltaic and very little of the hydroelectric known in the Gorona del Viento project, in the El Hierro Islands.
The rest of the energy generated and consumed came from polluting sources (some more than others). The Canaries have great potential for renewables and they managed to break a record in El Hierro when they spent more than 50 hours just stocking up on renewables. However, little progress has been made in recent years in the field of renewables, even though there has been continuous talk about the need to change the energy system.
The result obtained by analyzing the energy consumption and generation data it couldn't be more negative. The evolution of renewables each year is either null or irrelevant to notice improvements.
Origin of the problem
The origin of the low consumption and generation of renewable energy in the Canary Islands comes from installed power. The archipelago only has installed power to produce electricity with renewables of 319,5 megawatts, 11,6% of the total existing in the islands (at 2.754 megawatts, 100%). This relative value is distributed as follows: 5% from wind power (in the Peninsula, 23%), 6,1% from photovoltaic (in the Peninsula, 4,5%, the only record surpassed by the islands), 0,4% from hydroelectric and 0,1% from other renewables.
To better see the origin of the problem, we must analyze what happened in 2017. In the peninsular electricity system, customers have received three times as much renewable energy as the Canary Islands. Coverage is almost 25% of the total, while in the Canary Islands only 7,7%. The hydraulic source is not taken into account in this count, since it does not exist in the Canary Islands. If we add this energy to that consumed in the peninsula, it amounts to 32%.
This coverage with green energies in the Peninsula was possible because the installed power to produce them, also without hydraulics, was again close to three times that of the Canary Islands, with 31% overall in this case. If the contribution of hydraulics is added, the installed power of clean within the global reaches 51%.
As you can see, renewables are advancing in some places more than others. However, due to the potential that Spain has in its entirety for renewables, it is not being used enough to help fight climate change and move towards the energy transition.