Recent figures published by Wiki Solar show that Spain had more than 20 GW of installed solar capacity as of the end of last year, and the site's founders claim that the country is becoming a photovoltaic powerhouse as developers of utility-scale solar increasingly roll out projects.
Wiki-Solar, an online solar database, released a ranking of the world's top 19 utility-scale solar developers this week. The data, which compiles project developers' total global solar power generation through the third quarter of 2023, shows a growing number of projects under construction in Spain.
"The recent pace of deployment in Spain has been amazing," said Philip Wolfe, founder of Wiki-Solar. "It's almost entirely unsubsidized projects - which shows how competitive the solar industry has become."
Data provided by Wiki-Solar shows that as of the third quarter, there were 546 solar power plants in operation in Spain, generating approximately 20.8 GW of electricity. Major project developers operating in the Mediterranean country include Enel Green Power, operated by Spanish utility Endesa, as well as independent power producers.
This means that Spain is in fourth place behind the big three international players - China, the US, and India - as project developers reap the rewards of their investments, Wiki-Solar's data suggests.
"Spain had ranked first globally between 2007 and 2011 with the country's generous feed-in tariff program," the report said. "When the tariff subsidy was removed amid controversy, the country slipped to seventh in the rankings during 2017-18. And now it has risen back to fourth place, well ahead of the chasing pack led by Germany."
Wiki Solar acknowledged that there would be "some omissions" in the ranking of the top 19 developers because the site's database only records about 88% of projects. The company said its data may be underestimated by a factor of 1.1 on average.