NATIONAL electricity board Iberdrola has announced plan to spend €15 billion on wind farms between now and the year 2025, enabling it to supply 'clean' power to around 12 million people.
These wind farms will be both on land and offshore, and based in 'about a dozen' countries, the utility board reveals – some of which infrastructure is already under construction.
A wind farm in the province of Cuenca, centre-eastern Spain, between those of Valencia and Madrid
Once complete, they will be able to meet the energy needs of the equivalent of over a quarter of the population of Spain.
According to the company's calculations, the power provided by the planned wind farms will save around 43 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
If an average short-haul passenger airline emits a quarter of a tonne, or 250 kilos, of CO2 per hour in flight, it means Iberdrola's investment will – in greenhouse-gas terms – equate to a reduction of 169 million hours' worth of aeroplane travel per annum.
Iberdrola currently manages wind farms on three continents, and says the USA is the country which produces the most energy from these.
A total of 8,000 MW (megawatts) comes out of Iberdrola-run wind farms in the United States, or 41% of the company's total.
Spain is the country with the second-highest amount of wind-farm energy produced through Iberdrola fixtures – 6,100 MW, or 31% of the total – followed by the UK, with 2,000 MW, or 10%.
The latter country is where two of Iberdrola's huge offshore wind farms are based – East Anglia ONE, off the south-east coast of the UK in the North Sea, and West of Duddon Sands, which produce a combined total of 1,100 MW.
Wikinger wind farm, off the coast of Germany, generates 350 MW of renewable energy.
Others being constructed at present include the first industrial-sized wind farm in the USA, Vineyard Wind 1, and also Park City Wind, which generate 806 and 804 MW respectively.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com