Of props and power

Face-off in the wind The Spanish government's proposal to end subsidies for renewable fuels has made the country's Association of Renewable Energy Producers (arep) see red. The government feels that the sop should be done away with as certain forms of renewable energy are mature enough to compete in the open market. But arep contends that concessions are still needed to produce renewable energy from sources such as wind, wave, water and biomass.

The body has, in fact, termed it as a "death sentence" for green energy, contending that biomass power is in its infancy. "As for wind power, which till now has enjoyed satisfactory growth with the lowest prices in Europe, the most difficult part is yet to come.... If they're now saying this has to be done without subsidies, not one more megawatt will ever be produced," warned the association.

It is believed that renewable energy would account for almost 30 per cent of electricity generation in the country within a decade, compared with around 17 per cent currently. But arep has made it abundantly clear that it cannot achieve the target without subsidies.