Spain’s wind power reached a new record on 8 November. On the night wind energy provided at its peak 53.7% of Spain’s total electricity demand, according to figures provided by Spanish electricity grid Red Electrica. The figure surpassed the previous record set in November last year by 10.7%. Red Electrica said that this record was a first since it was sustained over several hours during the night. Between 03.00 and 08.30 on 8 November wind met over 50% of electricity demand. The surge in wind power triggered water pumping stations which transport water into reservoirs. This store of water would be released for generating electricity via water turbines at times of peak demand, Red Electrica said. The Spanish Wind Energy Association said the sustained peak in wind powered electricity production proved that wind energy is no longer marginal. By 2020 Spain is expected to double its wind-power producing capacity from the current level of 16 gigawatts to 45 GW. With this expected growth in capacity we could envisage wind meeting the vast majority of demand during times of peak supply by 2020, Jacopo Moccia, regulatory affairs adviser for EWEA, said. Spain is the world’s third biggest producer of wind power, after the United States and Germany, with an installed capacity of 16,740 megawatts (MW) at the end of 2008, a rise of 1,609 MW for the year. On particular windy days, wind power generation has surpassed all other electricity sources in Spain, including nuclear. Wind energy is an important energy source in Spain because the Spanish government has sanctioned a green energy approach to guarantee an increase in the country’s wind generation capacity, with aspirations to install a total of 20.1 GW of wind power by 2010. The contribution of Wind Energy to GDP (value creation) has grown rapidly in recent years. In the period from 2003 to 2007 it increased from €1.022 billion to €1.933 billion. The GDP of the Wind Energy Industry grew in real terms (at factor cost) by 62.7% in the period from 2003 to 2007 giving average annual growth of 15.7% in those years. As a result of the high level of technological development of the companies in the industry and of growth in world demand, in 2007 the industry’s exports exceeded €2.55 billion (€2.1 billion in real terms, base 2003). Net exports (exports minus imports) accounted for more than 49% of the gross value added of the Industry. In addition, the main Spanish players in the industry have established subsidiaries in the most important markets. The wind energy industry’s estimated direct impact on Spain’s GDP during the period 2008-2012 is forecasted to exceed €2.655 billion in 2010 and €3.23 billion in 2012.