The energy renewable energy remains the source of an immense quest – which has led the European Union to make the biggest mistake in its history. In Spain, however, it seems to have fallen out of the blue, and better said, with a phenomenon that wreaked havoc and left us without Holy Week. Do you know what we’re talking about? This was the superstorm that kick-started electricity generation in our country.
An Easter drenched in water: the rare episode we experienced this year
Holy Week 2024 has brought a pleasant surprise to the Spanish energy sector. After months of drought that forced us to resort to other, more polluting and expensive sources of electricity generation, the March rains have allowed the reservoirs to be filled and boost hydroelectric production when he was going through his worst moment.
This has led to renewable hydraulic energy breaking records and being the main source of electricity during these periods, covering most of the demand and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, which is excellent news, at least in the current context.
While in Seville and Andalusia in general they saw how they could not eliminate the majority of the processions – in fact, for the first time in years, except during the pandemic, no step came out during La Madruga— The reservoirs were filled by Storm Nelson.
Renewable hydropower is exploding: cheaper light and cleaner electricity
Heavy rainfall in March has resulted in a significant increase in the level of hydroelectric reservoirs in Spain. This is due to the abundant rainfall recorded during the month, which, thanks to this renewable energy, is much higher than normal values in many parts of the country.
According to data from Red Eléctrica de España (REE), the volume stored in hydroelectric reservoirs increased from 43% of their capacity at the end of February to more than 80% at the end of March. Particularly the Duero Basin has recorded the wettest March since 1960.
The increase in reservoir levels has made it possible to guarantee electricity supply in a month of high demand such as Easter, while there are positive prospects for the summer in terms of the availability of water resources for the production of renewable energy.
Hydroelectric production reaches a record: the strange thing is that this is happening now
Hydropower production in Spain saw a sharp increase during Easter 2024 compared to the same period last year. According to data from Spanish electricity grid operator Red Eléctrica de España (REE), electricity production grew by an average of 30% in all parts of Spain, which is fantastic news.
This is mainly due to the fact that the Spanish marshes and reservoirs were filled to a very high level after the heavy rains in the month of March. In fact, hydraulic reserves reached record levels, even surpassing those that existed before the drought that plagued the country for years.
So when reservoirs were full, electric utilities could make the most of hydropower plants’ production capacity during Holy Week, a period of high electricity demand. The strange thing is that this is happening in the middle of a drought, because remember, we still haven’t gotten out of this episode yet.
As expected, Storm Nelson had a significant impact on our country, but not just on what we know best. The truth is that the generation of energy renewable energy was historic during Holy Week, showing how the weather can sometimes work in our favor. That’s basically what they did with this project to generate electricity with DANA.