The way to avoid exceeding a 1.5°C temperature increase is to ditch fossil fuels later than the year 2040 (EER, 2023). If this doesn’t happen, it would be the worst possible scenario for nature.
The energy transition is in a process of constant change, therefore this report is considered a work subject to possible evolution over time, as it is susceptible to new updates based on the variable context in the low-carbon process.
Below we leave you with the main ideas of each of the six main solutions that we propose in this report for the energy transition. You can consult them further by downloading the PDF of the report.
WWF recommendations for the orderly deployment of renewable energy sources in Spain:
By WWF they ask: what by 2030 at the latest, the energy produced in the electricity sector in Spain will come entirely from renewable sources; and that the country will achieve climate neutrality by 2040.
From this WWF They propose the following solutions:
Energy saving and efficiency
The cleanest energy is the energy that is not consumed and that there is no need to produce.
Reducing energy consumption and energy efficiency are presented as some of the most effective measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the current decade (IEA, 2021; IRENA, 2021). The greater the reduction and efficiency, the lower the energy requirement and the lower the impact on biodiversity.
By WWF They ask to reduce the final demand for energy, in line with a climate scenario that limits temperature increase to 1.5 °C. We also think it is necessary increase the annual renovation rate of buildings, accelerate modal change and electrification measures, pursue a distributed and local generation and consumption modeland promote the necessary changes in citizens’ consumption habits.
Deployment of renewable energy: prioritize self-consumption and local energy communities
The energy transition offers the opportunity to democratize energy, turning the end user into the producer of the energy he consumes. Self-consumption promotes energy efficiency improvement and reduces the amount of energy required renewable energy on the territory, dissipating its potential impact on natural areas. In Spain there is still great potential to be exploited during the current decade.
By WWF They call for at least 30% of the renewable energy installed in the country to come from self-consumption by 2030. as well as the application of a regulatory framework that simplifies and accelerates the implementation of these projects and facilitates their integration and participation in the electricity market. To take advantage of the real potential of these new modalities, The technical, administrative, economic and social barriers that still exist today must be removed.
Promoting repowering in older renewable energy installations
This alternative is presented as an effective tool to meet climate goals while helping to limit the expansion of new construction projects. renewable energy to new areas. During this decade, more than half of Spain’s wind farms will exceed their 20-year lifespan, making them susceptible to repowering.
By WWF They propose the development of a national repowering strategy with concrete measures and binding targets, as well as the use of promotional mechanisms to harness its potential and achieve greater penetration of this modality in the coming years. We also believe that there should be a regulatory framework to ensure, where possible, the repowering of the economy renewable parks once the end of life has been reached.
Renewable energies to replace fossil fuels and reach the 1.5 °C scenario on time.
Although a screenplay based on renewable energy It is the best alternative to nature
(Luderer, 2019; Gibon, 2017; Berrill, 2016; Bennun, 2021; Bergesen, 2016), and that its development will be necessary to achieve decarbonization objectives, The energy transition must be developed while avoiding and minimizing potential impacts on biodiversity and humans as much as possible.
By WWF They demand binding territorial planning at regional and local scales, with broad social participation and subject to strategic environmental assessment guarantee the priority location of renewable energy projects in areas of low environmental and social sensitivity.
Likewise, they call for maritime space planning that uses an ecosystem approach, capable of recognizing the value and services provided by the marine environment and its limited capacity in the face of human development pressures. They request that at least the following exclusion zones be established for the projects: protected natural areas, Natura 2000 network spaces (ZEC, SPA, SCI), MPAs, main migration corridors for birds and other species, other areas of high ecological vulnerability (Annex I) and systems with high natural agricultural value.
That’s what they ask environmental impact assessment processes for renewable energy projects are not weakened (KB 20/2022) and that, on the contrary, they are strengthened to improve the evaluation of alternatives and always take into account the cumulative or synergistic impact of projects in nearby areas.
We believe that if we are processing renewable projectsthis measure will only be implemented in the areas identified as priorities in the above-mentioned territorial planning process.
In addition, we request that more money and resources be allocated to the preparation of more extensive, complete and updated studies that will allow us to supplement and improve the current susceptibility maps, as well as rStrengthen the capacity of governments to process the evaluation of the growing number of renewable energy projects.
Storage, management, innovation and technological diversity of renewable energy sources
All will be essential to advance the decarbonization of the energy system and move away from fossil fuels. These variables are not only necessary to achieve climate goals, but they also provide greater energy security for the system (security of supply, low prices and stable prices), and help limit its expansion in the area.
By WWF They propose a revision of the current storage strategy to promote a model based on demand management, which facilitates the deployment of distributed generation and develops a favorable framework for citizen participation in the energy market; given the potential of this modality to realize large-scale support deployment in a short time and at the same time contribute to other social and ecological objectives of the energy transition.
Likewise, despite the fact that we are considering an increase in the level of electrical interconnections necessary to promote greater energy cooperation between EU countries, we believe that this is the case The use of renewable hydrogen (obtained from surplus renewable energy) should mainly be intended to decarbonize sectors that cannot be electrified in our country, and not on the configuration of an energy model aimed at large-scale exports; as this would mean an over-sizing of the necessary infrastructure in the area, and the construction of large transport networks in ecosystems that are already severely affected (such as the proposed hydrogen corridor in the Mediterranean).
Circular economy to sustainably meet the challenge of the crucial minerals needed for renewable energy sources
The energy transition to low-carbon technologies, such as renewable energy and other associated infrastructure, leads to the demand for new materials needed for their implementation.
The excessive geographic centralization in the extraction of critical resources, the declining quality of
minerals, or the various environmental and social impacts associated with their supply, underline the need to consider this variable as a priority in the decarbonization process of the global economy.
That’s why since WWF they ask implement a circular economy system that reduces the demand for primary resources in favor of second-life resources, and establish minimum criteria that improve the management of materials throughout their life cycle and reduce (currently very low) rates of recycling and reuse of materials increase, and components. Likewise, we consider it essential to implement good governance systems that ensure effective traceability ensuring that resources have been sourced ethically and limiting social and environmental impacts from their origins.