Spain's energy outlook: A review of PV potential and energy export
Section snippets
Background information
Energy demand in Spain has followed a parallel growth of the economy. Fig. 1 shows the growth of primary energy demand in Spain. It highlights the impact of hydrocarbons in the Spanish energy supply, and also the fact that periods of high inflation affect investment in energy, especially nuclear [1]. The oil crisis in the seventies not only meant a return to coal and the problematic development of nuclear energy, but also resulted in high inflation and low economic growth. A strong growth in
Location and solar irradiation
The location considered in the case study is El Baico, Baza, Granada, Spain (37°31′22″ North, 2°45′42″ West, Elevation: 783 m above sea level). An accurate estimation of solar radiation is required to confidently predict photovoltaic system performance [57], [58]. The solar radiation database used to provide solar radiation data at the plant site is the Photovoltaic Geographical Information System – Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (PVGIS-CMSAF) [16], [17]. Data are
Conclusions
Spain has made efforts in supporting and developing solar energy for generation of electricity in a sustainable way to meet the energy future and its related environmental challenges. However it is actually facing destabilising and without precedent economic crisis, which have pushed government to block PV incentives and curb the growth of solar energy sector. Currently, PV solar energy is not a profitable sector by itself.
Spain can play a key role in the electricity market with one of the best
Acknowledgments
This work was supported in Chile by the projects CONICYT/FONDAP/15110019 (SERC-CHILE) and by the UAI Earth Research Center.
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