nature & planetOur World in Data

Spain and Portugal now get over 40% of their electricity from wind and solar

the gist

Spain and Portugal share the Iberian Peninsula, and both have built wind and solar power at nearly the same pace. Between them they now generate more than 40% of their electricity from these two sources, a major share for countries that long relied on imported fuel and hydropower. Wind farms spread across the Iberian uplands first, while large solar parks followed as panel costs fell. Their growth in step shows how neighbouring grids, similar climates and shared policy can move together.

so what

Wind and solar are now cheap enough that countries with few fossil fuel reserves can rely on them heavily. Iberia is a useful case study because its sunny and windy conditions are shared, making its progress a good test of what is achievable elsewhere.

Our World in Data · CC BY 4.0

Image: Our World in Data, CC BY 4.0