Wind power meets record demand in Spain: industry group

Yahoo News 24 Nov 08;

MADRID (AFP) – Wind power supplied a record 43 percent of all electricity demand in Spain, which is being lashed by heavy winds and rain, for a brief period on Monday, the Spanish wind power association said.

Spanish wind farms generated 9,253 megawatts of the total demand of 21,264 megawatts at around 5 a.m. (0400 GMT), a moment when energy useage was low because most Spaniards were still asleep, it said in a statement.

The previous record of 40.8 percent was set in March, also during a stormy day.

Wind power generated a maximum of 10,263 megawatts in Spain shortly after noon on Monday, compared to the production record of 10,880 megawatts set in April.

The energy source will likely account for nearly 11 percent of all electricity demand in Spain during all of 2008, the association said.

Spain, along with Germany and Denmark, is among the three biggest producers of wind power in the European Union. It aims to triple the amount of energy it derives from renewable sources by 2020.