Advances in renewable energy and the rise of Green Hydrogen in Spain

The shift to renewable energy is making it possible to break away from fossil fuels in various electricity grids, including Spain’s, driven by an irreversible energy transition

By Ignacio J. Domingo

The green conversion is progressing at an intense rate in Spain. Renewable sources contributed 56% to the electricity mix in 2024 with an 11% increase in production - a national record - and a capacity of 149 Terawatt hours (TWh). An important milestone was achieved: solar photovoltaics, making up 17% of the electricity mix, overtook combined cycle sources to secure third place. It trailed wind energy, which led with 23%, and nuclear energy at 19%.  

Hydraulic energy is the fifth source, at 13%, while fossil technologies saw a decrease, with the combined cycle registering a decline of 24% while coal is heading towards oblivion, only generating 1.1% of electricity, the lowest share in history.  

This rise in renewable energies is crucial to achieving the objective of representing 81% of the national electricity supply by 2030. As of November 22, 2024, renewable energy production surpassed the levels reached throughout all of 2023, a year in which the generation cap was broken, reaching 134,649 gigawatt/hour (Gwh) -56% of the country’s electricity supply-with renewables accounting for 63% of the total installed power capacity.  

Red Eléctrica reported an 18% increase in transport network investments in the third quarter, with €603 million in capital deployed; a trend that the private sector has also embraced. As green projects have accumulated in the domestic market, they have already surpassed fossil fuels as the priority energy source. The projects primarily focused on solar and wind energy, with a notable rise in alternatives like hydrogen, especially green hydrogen.  

Still, the challenges are daunting. The International Energy Agency (IEA) highlights "the creation of international connecting and transport networks to export its renewable surpluses, the adaptation of electricity infrastructure to meet supply demands and the promotion of sectors like transportation or energy-intensive needs such as heating, which must accelerate progress toward energy neutrality." To this end -according to its experts- it’s imperative for Spain to continue setting up technological services, boost AI and intensify regulatory changes, "where it has launched several initiatives which are on the right track".  

Among others, the recent Green Algorithms Plan, under review since 2021, which has gathered input from its multinational companies and is part of the National AI Strategy (ENIA) whose objective is to foster an innovation ecosystem that anticipates highly reliable management models in its energy facilities. Green AI is crucial for adjusting adequate water flow rate controls in hydropower plants or intensifying renewable energy contributions to the energy mix based on real technical data.  

Also worth noting is the entry into force, in January, of  ReFuelEU Aviation, which sets SAF quotas for the use of sustainable aviation fuels ranging from 2% in 2025 to 70% in 2050.  

The role of green hydrogen and biomethane

When it comes to this, energy companies are driving decarbonization through tangible projects, Moeve being a particular standout with the construction of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, the most ambitious renewable hydrogen project  in Europe, set for this summer, with an investment of 3 billion euros.  

At the end of 2024, Spain submitted its updated Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) to Brussels, highlighting green hydrogen as a key strategy for decarbonizing its economy, with a target of 12 GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030.  

The dozens of initiatives that are spreading throughout Spain share this vision of productive integration of green hydrogen through electrolysis from renewable sources, as well as its consumption in industrial processes and nearby locations. This includes its direct use, a replacement for gray hydrogen or natural gas, its transformation into ammonia or methanol, or as a fuel for transport and decarbonization in port environments. 

Spanish sustainability, however, still has margins for improvement for 2025. This is true in areas involving electric vehicles, where progress remains challenging. As of July 2024, electric vehicle registrations in Europe saw a modest increase of 1.3% (712,637 units), while plug-in hybrid sales declined by 2.5% (392,284 units). As of today, these vehicles represent 3% of the car fleet in the EU and 1.4% in Spain.  

In this context, the acceleration of circular economy projects becomes important, under another specific action plan that revolves around five lines of action - production, consumption, waste, raw materials, and water - and is endowed with 2,169 million euros. Several sectors - textiles, plastics, and equipment - will have access to specific injections worth 300 million. To add to that, the favorable credit lines of ICO and institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) have been expanded, which have already deployed 11.600 million in the domestic market to finance circular economy initiatives between 2019 and 2023. 

Biomethane also appears as a lever for change. This biogas transforms waste into energy and has particularly efficient plants in Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and France. Spain is starting to recognize its potential, with new investments on the horizon, including Moeve's €600 million project to build 30 plants. 

Meanwhile, other alternatives, such as biomass, have yet to find their competitive niche. In 2025 and 2026, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that it will remain marginal within the 25% contribution of renewables to its energy mix. Much of the decarbonization efforts of the world's first power will come from direct CO2 capture from the atmosphere, which will expand enormously this year among industrialized countries. As of 2025, a new facility in Texas will capture 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year, selling carbon offset credits to major companies on the CO2 market. It will be the largest of its kind in the world, surpassing the Mammoth facility in Iceland.  

The batteries of the future will also be key players, with China controlling global supply chains. Its company, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), controls 37% of the global market and will continue supplying major automotive manufacturers like Tesla, Ford, and Volkswagen. 

This is just like the second generation of biofuels that has a development base in Spain. In 2024, Moeve and its partners began building a new 2G biofuel plant, backed by a total investment of 1.2 billion euros, aimed at creating the largest 2G biofuel industrial complex in Southern Europe.  The plant, located in the ‘La Rábida’ Energy Park in Palos de la Frontera (Huelva), will use agricultural waste and used cooking oils as raw materials and will have a flexible production capacity of 500,000 tons of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for air, sea and land transport. 

All of this has significant socio-economic effects. A study by Moeve and Manpower assures that green hydrogen and biofuels will generate 1.7 million jobs in the EU and that renewable energies will increase the European GDP by 145 billion euros by 2040. Spain is at the forefront of green hydrogen production in Europe and boasts the highest number of jobs related to green molecules, totaling 181,000. More than the United Kingdom (173,000), Germany (145,000), and France (105,000). 

Ignacio J. Domingo has spent most of his 30 years of professional practice analyzing geopolitical, international economic and capital market issues in Expansión and collaborating with media channels such as El Confidencial, Capital, Estrategias de Inversión and El Diario.es, among others. He received the award as a first runner-up for the Citigroup Award, which recognizes the best annual economic reporting.