Reuters

The Guardian newspaper in Britain reports that a ferocious spate of windy weather in Spain actually helped set a new wind-power generation record for the country, with “40 percent of the country’s energy needs being covered by wind turbines at one stage.”

Giles Tremlett, a reporter in Madrid, wrote:

The peak of 11,180mw of electricity supply came mid-morning yesterday, as fierce winds swept across much of north-west Spain, where most of the country’s extensive wind farms are situated. That covered 29 percent of Spain’s energy needs at the time. The percentage had been even higher, reaching above 40 percent for several hours, earlier in the morning when demand for electricity was lower. Spain’s Wind Energy Association said at the moment of peak production, the country’s turbines were working at 69 percent of their maximum theoretical potential.

In statistics published last month, the Global Wind Energy Council ranked Spain third in terms of overall installed wind-power capacity, at nearly 16,000 megawatts. Ahead of Spain are Germany, at nearly 24,000 megawatts of capacity, and the United States, at No. 1, with over 25,000 megawatts.

Of course, given the difference in markets, the winds couldn’t blow hard enough in the United States to match Spain’s record. Power from wind turbines still accounts for only about 1 percent of the American power supply.