Navarra, Spain: A model for the development of renewable energy

The region of Navarra, Spain, which is known for its unique success in adopting alternative energies (see post here) is spearheading a conference and collaboration between the Government of Navarra and the NYU Center for Global Affairs. This conference will focus on alternative and renewable energy: Navarra’s successes in adapting to its use, and its implications for Europe and the world. The program will be followed by a reception featuring a tasting of wines from Navarra and a raffle for a trip to the region.

The conference will be held on Tuesday, January, 20th 2009, 6.00 to 7.30pm at The New York Times Building in the Conference Hall, 242 West 41st Street, New York, NY 10018.

The Keynote Speaker for the event is Miguel Sanz, president of Navarra, with Carolyn Kissane, clinical associate professor from the NYU Center for Global Affairs, as the moderator. Panelists are Jose Maria Roig, Navarra’s Regional Secretary for Innovation, Enterprise and Employment; Fernando Viana, managing partner of Viana & Associates LLC and Chris Gadomski, managing editor of New Energy Finance.

Spain is currently undergoing a renewable-energy revolution, with the Navarra region set to be the first in Europe to be self-sufficient in renewable energy. The US rating agency Standard & Poors, in a current investigation of standards of living in Europe, ranked Navarra, whose primary source of renewable energy is wind power, uppermost among the 17 autonomous regions of Spain. Navarra, Europe’s sixth largest producer of wind power, currently sustains approximately 70 % of its electricity needs from renewable energy sources, wind farms being used most extensively, and has a 900-megawatt capacity of installed wind power, ranking it ahead of the UK, Sweden, and France.

Navarra was entirely reliant on imported energy until the development of wind-power as a viable home-grown alternative. Now, it boasts a cluster of world class renewable energy companies mostly located around the the Spanish Center for Renewable Energy (CENER), such as Acciona Energy, the R+D division of Gamesa and the energy division of Ingeteam, or, out of that area, OPDE/Mecasolar (solar farms and trackers).

For information on Navarra region, contact moranopr@aol.com or visit: Government of Navarra

Explore posts in the same categories: Renewable energy