{"id":10549,"date":"2020-11-16T08:28:56","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T07:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uchceu.es\/diseno\/?p=10549"},"modified":"2022-02-28T09:41:09","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T08:41:09","slug":"wind-power-spain-renewable-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uchceu.es\/diseno\/en\/wind-power-spain-renewable-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Wind power in Spain: leading the race for renewables"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no doubt that the wind power industry in Spain is an important sector both in environmentally and economically. What European governments want is for renewable energy sources to dominate industrial and domestic consumption of electricity, which means there\u2019s still a lot more potential for growth for the industry.<\/p>\n

This view is shared by Fernando S\u00e1nchez<\/strong>, a lecturer at CEU Valencia who researches the use of technology in the energy industry. He advocates the use of renewable energy sources in the quest for a more competitive and sustainable energy sector. This is clear from his research but also in his more public activities, such as his recent participation in the \u201cActuando en verde<\/em>\u201d roundtable at the University. \u201cActuando en verde<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u201d is a national initiative enabling a range of experts from industry, government and the media debate possible solutions for the improvement of the planet\u2019s rather poor state of health \u2013 and it seems likely that there is a role there for wind power.<\/p>\n

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Advantages and disadvantages of wind power<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Fernando, is wind power a reliable source of energy? What advantages and disadvantages does it have in comparison with other green energy sources?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It is certainly a reliable source of energy because it is inexhaustible, like solar power. It\u2019s a renewable source of energy<\/strong>, and that\u2019s a key factor in terms of the social commitment that most developed countries have made.<\/p>\n

The practical advantages it possesses include its versatility in terms of space \u2013 you can see wind turbines in the countryside and in the sea. In Spain, there are areas of Castile and Aragon which are covered in wind farms and that shows how adaptable it is with regard to where you can put it. However, not every setting is appropriate for it. The wind doesn\u2019t always blow everywhere, so it\u2019s a reliable but not a stable resource. You need regular gusts of between 10 and 40 km per hour and you don\u2019t get that everywhere.<\/p>\n

Another great advantage is that it doesn\u2019t generate pollution: it\u2019s a clean energy source<\/strong> that doesn\u2019t create environmentally toxic waste.<\/p>\n

However, a lot of research now focuses on the recyclability of the materials<\/strong> that the turbine blades are made of. They are usually made of a polymeric material, a plastic: they may be reinforced with fibreglass or carbon fibre, but they mainly consist of plastic. And this means that we have to look carefully at how these materials can be reused or recycled.<\/p>\n

According to the European Commission, in 2017 more than 350,000 jobs depended on the wind power industry<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But their manufacture is subject a precise industrial process and that is also an advantage. The turbine blades are huge, up to 130 to 140 metres in length. That\u2019s why they have to be made in very special factories, on an industrial scale, not least in terms of cost, and that means that the manufacturing process is highly defined<\/strong> and precise. In fact, productivity is increasing in this sense: we\u2019re producing blades more cheaply, while increasing quality. The technology used in wind power, in Spain and elsewhere, has really progressed a lot over the last 15 years and it will keep on progressing.<\/p>\n

One important drawback of wind power is the obvious visual impact that it makes on the landscape. You have to remember that we\u2019re talking about wind farms, with a lot of turbines which are spread out in that location \u2013 you don\u2019t get turbines on their own. Studies have been carried out to try to minimize this visual impact, but it\u2019s very difficult: you have to seek out<\/em> the wind, and this means that mountain ridges are where wind turbines make most sense.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s also the impact on birds<\/strong>. It\u2019s true that many birds do crash into the turbines and the blades move at a tremendous speed: the rotation speed is slow, but the tip of the blade may be moving at 200 to 300 km per hour. This is a problem that is very difficult to resolve.<\/p>\n

\"Paisaje
The development of wind power in Spain has changed our country’s landscape<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Technologically, the main disadvantage is that you have to store the energy generated and storage is tremendously expensive. In fact, we are doing a lot of research right now on using hydrogen as a way of storing and transporting the energy made using wind power. Basically, we\u2019re looking for ways of creating renewable hydrogen<\/strong>, so that we can use the energy at a time other than immediately when it is generated.<\/p>\n

Right now, the energy from wind power goes straight into the network, meaning that it needs to be used at that time. This means that energy production can\u2019t be optimized at night because at a domestic level there\u2019s low demand. That\u2019s why we\u2019re seeing discounts offered for night-time use of electricity<\/strong>: some of the electricity generated can\u2019t be stored and so rates are lowered to stimulate consumption. If you have an electric car or you need to charge the battery of a device, it\u2019s better to do it at night.<\/p>\n

Research on renewables<\/strong><\/h3>\n
You\u2019ve carried a lot of research on wind power over the years: where is that research heading now?<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Wind power is a mature technology, but it can still be improved and optimized further. Wind power first gained attention after many wind farms were established in Spain and across Europe, and these wind farms are now fifteen to twenty years old.<\/p>\n

In general, the blades on wind turbines have a life cycle of around twenty to twenty-five years. There\u2019s no doubt that the technology and the materials are improving all the time, but there\u2019s a big problem: the blades erode over time<\/strong>. It\u2019s particularly noticeable on the leading edge of the blade, because that\u2019s the surface that impacts first upon certain particles in the air, such as dust or raindrops. On their own, you might think that impacts like that are unimportant, but when you remember that these impacts occur repeatedly at high speeds, then you can see how this causes serious damage. And it\u2019s costly and difficult to fix: you have to stop the turbine, get workers out to it and up to the blade, and then they have to apply coatings to the blade in the field, in circumstances which make it difficult for this to be done appropriately.<\/p>\n