Catalonia’s 62 GW Renewable Energy Plan

• Catalonia has released its energy roadmap for 2050 under which it will aim to install 62 GW of renewable energy capacity
• While solar PV will contribute over 33 GW to the total estimate, wind energy will add another 26.6 GW
• With home grown renewable energy accounting for 97.5% of its primary energy consumption, Catalonia hopes to bring down its energy imports to 6.7% by 2050, down from 94.2% at present

To achieve climate neutrality in the energy sector, the Government of Catalonia says it aims to grow its renewable energy generation capacity by 2050 to around 62 GW with solar PV technology contributing the highest share of over 33 GW. The Spanish autonomous region wants to achieve both decarbonization and energy independence.

To be specific, Catalonia will deploy an additional 12 GW renewable energy capacity by 2030, comprising over 7 GW of solar PV. It wants to scale the cumulative up to almost 62 GW by 2050 with the help of 33.15 GW of PV. Solar PV capacity will be encouraged through 19.39 GW of ground mounted projects, 11.14 GW of PV for buildings and 2.61 GW of other PV installations in man-made spaces, to achieve the 33 GW target.

Compare this to 2020 when Catalonia's ground mounted PV capacity was only 94.8 MW, rooftop solar 249.7 MW, and no other PV installations.

"Altogether, by 2050, around 500,000 roof and roof electrical installations will be put into service, many of them associated with self-consumption and distributed generation systems, which will make it possible to take advantage of up to 65% of their total potential," stated Catalonian Minister of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, Teresa Jordà i Roura while sharing the main findings of Energy Prospective of Catalonia 2050 (PROENCAT 2050) by the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN).

With the inclusion of over 26.6 GW of wind power, along with 1.82 GW of hydro power, and 247.4 MW of other renewable power sources (solar thermal, biomass, biogas, etc.), Catalonia can boast of close to 62 GW total renewable energy capacity in 2050. To have this capacity installed, the administration estimates to put in use 2.5% of its territory.

These measures will enable it to bring down the share of its energy imports to 6.7% in 2050, down from 94.2% now, instead renewable energy will be able to cover 97.5% of its primary energy consumption by the target year.

ICAEN's Director Marta Morera i Marcé emphasized, "We are talking about decarbonizing the industrial sector, zero-emission buildings, promoting clean mobility, advancing the circular economy, setting up a new electricity system, but also empowering the public to participate and 'Make sure no one is left behind'."

A presentation explaining the various findings of Catalonia's PROENCAT 2050 is available on the government website.