NYT: Renewable Energy in Spain Is Taking a Beating

While the demand for power in Spain has plummeted nearly 6 percent since 2007 because of the slide in economic activity, the share of mandated renewable output has increased.

By ANDRÉS CALA 

October 9, 2013

MADRID — Years of disastrous policies, coupled with the economic crisis, have recast renewable energy in Spain. Once touted as the embodiment of progress, wealth and sustainability, the industry is now seen as an unwanted and costly extravagance.

The policy turnaround started in 2010 but picked up momentum with a government decree in July aimed at closing a widening gap between the cost of electricity generation and what consumers pay — known as the tariff deficit.

The decree’s impact has all but erased public support for renewable power, raising alarms in the industry inside and outside Spain.

“We’ve gone from misery to ruin,” said Jaume Margarit, director of the Association of Renewable Energy Producers.

Read the rest in the New York Times.